A FREE CITY

DESTINY OF DANZIG

LEAGUE OF NATIONS RULE,

■HIGH COMMISSIONER'S DUTIES,:

The Peace Treaty with Germany having been ratified; Danzig passes under the protection of the League of Nations,' th» Council «of which will shortly ap< point a High Commissioner.

The action of Mr. Lloyd George inr»:' fusing to allow the Poles to annex- ta! their State the seaport of Danzig ,wa6 onai of the wisest and justest, as k was on©', of the boldest, of his decisions (writes! W. H. • Dawßon in the Manchester j Guardian). The conversion oi' Danzig in-! tt> an independent Free State, or Free! City, as the Treaty of Versailles prefers! it, was by no means an ideal arrange-1 ment, a* those who live longest may;] learn best; but a cqnipromise being in- j evitable, this was probably the raosti feasible and satisfactory in the existing j circumstances. Danzig has long occupied* a high "place amongst German municipali-i ties in point of .area, but the- Treaty] greatly increases both its area, and . itspppulation. The Free State. will' em- ■ brace a territory of 750 square' milesand "a population, of between 300,000; and 350,000, of which about one-half' falls to the town. For purpose of comparison it may be noted that the areaof Hamburg, the largest of the German, Free* Cities, is only 160 square- miles, though its population exceeds a million, j In constituting Danzig a Free City! the Paris Conference placed it under, the protection 1 of the League of -Nations, and:! it. will now he the duty of the Council; of the League to appoint a High Commissioner, who will' represent it and permanently reside on the spot. , The functions of this official will be very important, and upon the wisdom and discretion with which they are discharged tha 1 success of this experiment itt State-mak-j ing will largely depend. s The' general] scope of his jurisdiction is set forth ir-.i •article 105 of the Treaty of Versailles, I which provides that a* Constitution for'; Danzig'shall be drawn up by tha Free City's duly appointed representatives in j agreement with; the High Commissioner, I which Constitution shall likewise- bei. guaranteed by the League of Nations; i and that the High Commissioner shall j be entrusted with.-the duty of "dealing j in the first instance win all ' differences- j arising beween Poland and the Free City '■ of Danzig in regard to this treaty or any , arrangement or arrangements made>,' thereunder." ' RELATIONS WITH PRUSSIA AND • POLAND. . The impending change in Danzig's political status will be far-reaching in • its effects. Its severance from-Prussia,, of whose provincft.JV.«st 'Prussia ,vt has been the capital since-1878, implies'tho '. abrupt -rupture of numberless ties and ' relations,~. administrative,':political,""OOrnmeruial, and intellectual, and.the result- . ing readjustments wijl require not only a thorough knowledge of the intricacies of the German system of political and local government, but statesmanlike ; judgment of a'high order. 'The problems with which the High Commissioner ; ■will have to deal will be further com'pll-' .;■ cated- by the fact that Danzig's future j independence does not exclude a large ' measure of Polish interference andi.control. - . . ..

By the Treaty of Versailles the city State is to fall within, the Customs area of Poland; it is required to establish'a free area in the port, and to ensure to. Poland "without any restrictions thr free use and service of all waterways, docks, basins, wharves, and other TJrorks _ within the territory of the Free City, necessary for Polish imports and exports"; measures are to be taken .to ensure .. to Poland the Control and administration of : the Vistula, and the whole railway sys- I tern (other than such tramways and other railways as serve .primarily the needs of the Free City), and of postal, telephonic, and telegraphic communication between Poland and-'tbe port of Danzig,' to ensure to Poland the right to develop and improve the waterways, docks, basins, wharves, railways, and other means of communication mentioned above, to provide against any discrimination with the Free City to the detri-: nient of citizens of Poland and- other persons of Polish origin and speech,'and' to provide that the conduct of the foreign relations of the Free City, as well as th« diplomatic protection of its citizens when abroad, shall be undertaken by tlhe, Polish Government. . , . a cond6minium. ■ ■ ■ . These provisions, . together with! the further stipulation that .the Polish State is to have consideration in the disposal by the principal Allied and Associated Powers of ths. property of the. German Empire or any German State within the territory of the. Free City of Danzig— e.g., fortresses, barracks, land used for military purposes, naval dockyard, small arms factory, railways and' railway workshops, etc., /will create in Danzig a condominium of a, very complicated and cumbrous kind,' which will only work smoothly if the claims of the two States concerned are balanced by a firm and impartial hand. . / Eor a long time, and it may be permanently, racial feeling on both sides-' will be strained and perhaps bitter. While the Germans, conscious that they, and their fathers have made -.Danzig./ what it is, are intensely mortified at ' the prospect of being no longer masters . of their own house, and apprehensive ■■'■ that under alien influence the national. civilisation, will suffer and their town's commercial prosperity be crippled, the . Poles are eager to assert themselves and make the most of the advantages secured to them by the Treaty of Versailles., Already, in fact, the Polish Government'; " has sent Daazig; a delegation charged : with the furtherance of Poland's economic interests in the city, and it is reported to have' made, large purchases of. buildings . for commercial purposes and valu- : able sites without regard for cost.;