The reconstruction of South-Eastern Europe

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF

is 690 kilométres, some 430 miles long and with the trifling necessary improvements, to be executed after the war, Salonica might be reached in eight or ten hours from Belgrade. Thus with all necessary stoppages Salonica might be reached from London in fifty hours. In that way the Indian mail might reach London via Suez some hours earlier than heretofore. Also the route to Smyrna, as the starting-point of the Bagdad railway line, would be considerably shortened, as Salonica to Smyrna is 258, whereas Brindisi to Smyrna is 1012 nautical miles. We can fairly assume that after the war the control of the Bagdad railway line will pass to Great Britain, and in that case the importance of the overland route to Salonica will be of paramount interest for her.

In 1912 Serbia’s foreign trade amounted to about eight million pounds representing less than 1 per cent. of the British trade and consequently arousing very little interest here; but it must be remembered that Serbia without access to the sea, shut up on every side, had the outlet for her commerce only in Austria and Germany. Both of them did everything in. their power to handicap Serbia’s economic development, since any increase of her strength meant an increase in the obstacles against their preconceived plan of the conquest of Serbia and Salonica. But the potential resources of Serbia are very great, and Austria-Hungary, whilst hampering Serbia’s

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