DANGER SPOT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 64, 27 December 1935, Page 8

DANGER SPOT

MEMEL AND ITS HISTORY, While Geneva struggles ivith the Ethiopian crisis a serious problem has developed nearer the centre of European events, writes Emil Lengyel in the “New York Times.” The population of the autonomous territory of Memel, which was part of Germany until the end of the World War and is now under Lithuanian rule, recently went to the polls to elect a Diet. The Germans charged that the Lithuanians want to thwart the free expression of the people’s will, while the Lithuanians charged that the Germans wanted to use the election to introduce Hitlerism into Memel and to prepare a “putsch.” Europe looks at the Memel problem with concern. Recently Great Britain. France and Italy collectively warned the Government of Lithuania to observe her treaty obligations toward Memel. Lithuanians, on the other hand, see the Reich deliberately concentrating her newly-acquired military strength against the Memel territory, partly to test the value of her_formidable war machine and partly in execution of her consistent policy of wrecking the Treaty of Versailles. Tlius the territory of Memel has become the greatest danger spot among the areas which the peace treaty detanked from German sovereignty. What is Memel like and how lias it developed into the issue it is to-day? With slight interruptions this part of the Baltic had been under German rule for about 700 years. In Article 99 of the Treaty of Versailles Germany was forced to cede the Memel territory to the Allied and Associated Powers, pending the final disposition of the frontiers in that part of the world. The Allies placed the territory under a French general commanding a small garrison. In January, 1923, an irregular Lithuanian force invaded the territory, disarmed the French, and set up a provisional Government, which the Conference of Ambassadors recognised a. month later. The League, to which the problem had been turned over for final settlement, appointed a commission to draw up a statute for Memel, and on May 17, 1924, the interested Powers set their hands to the statute. The settlement'gives legislative, administrative, judicial, financial and cultural autonomy to the territory under Lithuanian sovereignty. Excitement revived in Memel in December, 1926, after a coup d’etat in Lithuania had set up a dictatorial regime which proclaimed martial law over all the republic. Tbs Landtag protested, saying that Memel must remain under the constitutional regime described in the statute. But serious difficulties began to arise between Memel and Lithuania and Germany and Lithuania only after Adolf Hitler had. taken power in the Reich. One day -last year a Nazi, George Jesutis, was found dead, and investigation brought to light the fact that he had been murdered by a terror gang of bis former comrades for having admitted, under cross-examination, that he had been in touch with Hitlerite circles in Berlin. Four of the 126 defendants were sentenced to death by the Lithuanian court, but their sentences were commuted to life imprisonment last month. It was the trial which, caused the most serious break in German-Litliu-anian relations. The Reicb closed the frontiers just as 100,000 Lithuanian geese were on the way to market. On her side, Lithuania drew up armed forces along the frontier. The Germans charged that the Memel authorities disfranchised some 8000 prominent citizens of Menial, so that they could not vote or lie elected to public office. Memel is new administered by a rump Directory, consisting only of three Lithuanians, and the Landtag has not been in session for more than a year. * All public officials are required to’ be able to speak Lithuanian, and German is no longer an official language of the postal administration. An effort is being made also to “purge” the schools of the territory. The Germans suspect Lithuania of wanting to end the autonomy of Memel. It was against such measures that the guarantors of the Memel statute warned Lithuania the other day. Lithuania answered that the German residents refused to take part in the Directory and that elections to the Landtag will be held as provided by law. Lithuania’s Prime Minister, luozas Tubelis, declared the other day that his country still hoped that political and economic understanding between the two countries was possible.