The Austrian and Russian governments then drew up a further series of
reforms known as the "Mürzsteg programme" (Oct. 9, 1903) to which the
Porte assented in principle, though many difficulties were raised over
details. Two officials, an Austrian and a Russian, styled "civil agents"
and charged with the supervision of the local authorities in the
application of reforms, were placed by the side of the inspector-general
while the reorganization of the gendarmerie was entrusted to a foreign
general in the Turkish service aided by a certain number of officers
from the armies of the great powers. The latter task was entrusted to
the Italian General de Giorgis (April 1904), the country being divided
into sections under the supervision of the officers of each power. The
reforms proved a failure, mainly owing to the tacit opposition of the
Turkish authorities, the insufficient powers attributed to the European
officials, the racial feuds and the deplorable financial situation. In
1905 the powers agreed on the establishment of a financial commission on
which the representatives of Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy
would sit as colleagues of the civil agents. The Porte offered an
obstinate resistance to the project and only yielded (Dec. 5) when the
fleets of the powers appeared near the Dardanelles. Some improvement was
now effected in the financial administration, but the general state of
the country continued to grow worse; large funds were collected abroad
by the committees at Athens, which despatched numerous bands largely
composed of Cretans into the southern districts, the Servians displayed
renewed activity in the north, while the Bulgarians offered a dogged
resistance to all their foes.