§ Mr. ANEURIN WILLIAMSasked whether any reports of punishments inflicted without adequate trial, and of consequent discontent among various sections of the population in the European provinces of Turkey, had been received from His Majesty's consular representatives?
The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. McKinnon Wood)Some discontent was evoked by the sentences passed by a court-martial at Salonica upon leaders of bands in Macedonia, and some peasants said to have 336 been in collusion with them, but most of the sentences were commuted. The suppression of brigandage in Macedonia is necessarily attended with some severity, but His Majesty's Government are convinced that the Turkish Government will endeavour to avoid undue hardship or the punishment of innocent persons.