Figures War Losses At $400,000,000.

New York Times 100 years ago today, December 21, 1912:
    LONDON, Saturday, Dec. 21.— While the agreement of the Ambassadors of the powers on autonomy for Albania is an important step, the working out of the details of the scheme to make it effective will be one of the most difficult problems that a European conference has ever grappled with.
    The Economist notifies financiers and investors to expect in the coming year loans totalling $400,000,000, with which to repair the losses caused by the war and the mobilizations in Russia, Austria and Italy.
    The newspaper estimates the cost of the war at $175,000,000, using as a basis of reckoning the fact that there are 1,090,000 men under arms — 100,000 Turks, 600,000 Bulgarians, 200,000 Servians, 150,000 Greeks, and 40,000 Montenegrins — at an average expense of ten shillings ($2.40) daily a man.
    The Balkan peace delegates yesterday enjoyed the hospitality of the Lord Mayor at a Mansion House luncheon, and listened to a speech by Premier Asquith, who said he was not ashamed to declare himself optimistic of the negotiators arriving at an equitable and enduring peace, and that the Peace of London would be regarded by history as the proudest leaf in London's crown of laurel.
    The Sublime Porte has empowered its envoys to include the Greek delegates in the negotiations for peace, and a messenger with the documents containing this decision is expected to reach London today.
    Dispatches from Constantinople say that the Turks are confident that they now occupy a better military position toward the Greeks than when the negotiations began, and that Turkey now would not sign an armistice with them even if the Greeks asked it.
    The Turkish delegates have been instructed according to another report, to raise the question of the status of Adrianople immediately, and, if Bulgaria persists in demanding its surrender, to break off the peace negotiations. Diplomats generally are skeptical of this story.
    The Daily Telegraph, however, says it has unimpeachable information that Turkey is inflexibly resolved to retain Adrianople or resume hostilities. For this reason it takes a grave view of the prospect for a successful issue of the peace conference. The newspaper also points out that the use of the word "autonomy" in the official statement, issued by the Ambassadorial conference, instead of independence, seems to imply an intention on the part of the powers to leave Albania under Turkish suzerainty, which would hardly be acceptable to the Balkan allies.
    The Morning Post says it understands that while there is no possibility of the allies giving their consent to Turkey retaining Adrianople, they are willing to entertain a request to preserve the famous Sultan Selim Mosque there for the Mohammedan faith, and as they are desirous for friendly relations with Turkey, they are ready to make any reasonable concession to Turkish feeling short of allowing any Christian province to remain under Turkish rule.