§ 6. Mr. WALTER GUINNESSasked whether the right hon. Gentleman is aware that it appears from the monthly reports of the Consul-General at Salonica from December, 1905, to March, 1908, dealing with political crime in Macedonia that, exclusive of troops killed by insurgents and insurgents killed by troops, about 1,663 murders were committed by Christians and 474 by Moslems; and whether he can give corresponding figures for the period from April, 1908, until the outbreak of the Balkan War?
§ Sir E. GREYThe hon. Member can examine the figures in any reports that have been published. I cannot undertake to make an analysis of them, nor can I give further figures from reports not published.
§ Mr. W. GUINNESSIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that Moslem opinion in India is drawing a contrast between the action of the Foreign Office in former years, when they rightly pressed upon Turkey the necessity of Macedonian reform, and the present reticence, which is being regarded as screening far worse atrocities?
§ Sir E. GREYIf any inference of that sort has been drawn, I am afraid it must have been stimulated by the misleading 9 nature of questions put in this House. I have explained more than once that all last year I was pressed to publish reports which were presumed to contain accounts of outrages which had taken place in Turkish territory, and for which Turkish authorities were responsible. I declined to publish them last year because the war was in progress between Turkey and Italy. I have applied, and I am applying, to the Consular reports now received with regard to what is happening under the Bulgarian, Greek and Servian authorities exactly the same rule as I have applied to Turkish reports ever since 1908.
§ Mr. W. GUINNESSWill the right hon. Gentleman ask the Turkish Government whether they have any objection to the fullest publication of all reports on the subject of Macedonia up to the outbreak of the war?
§ Sir E. GREYWhat I am trying to do, in so far as it is in my power, is to bring about peace and a good settlement for the future. There has been nothing about Macedonia for some years past up to the present day which is anything but unpleasant reading, and if I am to rake up the past at this moment, I think it would be most unfortunate from the point of view of Moslems as well as Christians.