IN PARIS.

Auckland Star, Issue 123, 24 May 1919, Page 5

IN PARIS.

WHERE STATESMEN GATHER. LIGHTS AND SHADES. Writing in the "Evening Standard" from Paris, Sir John Foster Eraser, J special correspondent, deals with the lighter side of the great gathering of statesmen at the Peace Conference. : Commiasiona and committees are hard at work collecting information to pase on to the Council of Ten, which meet 3 each morning in M. I'ichon's room at the Quai d'Orsay. I There is a constant see-caw of officials between London and Paris. Some come by the slow sea and land way, occupying about eleven hours. The more adventurous come by aeroplane, taking about four hours. Mr. Bonar Law travels by aeroplane, fairly comfortably, for ho is in a closed tab and can spend the time reading. 1 dined with a man last night who had Mown over in a plane carrying quite a ton of mail. The chief thing he had to say was that the journey was monotonous, and that lie became exceedingly

hungry. Some of the British sections are working hard—right up to 10 o'clock at night. The lady secretaries, who had an easy time during the first fortnight, are now kept busy, and the Hotel Majestic expects another, ewarm of typists from London in a day or two. WHO ARE THESE STRANGE PEOPLE? Being in the Majestic is rather like being on board ship. One ia alwaya meeting the same people in the lounge, which is the equivalent of a promenade deck. At dinner there is probably the most wonderful crowd of British people that could be brought together—all the i'nmiers of the Empire, btatesmeu, diplomats, soldiers. You will have to guess the name of the most important person who put on hid pince-nez the other evening, gazed round with beneficent countenance, and remarked, "1 don't know a soul; but they looK an interesting lot." Anyway, it is not the same statesman who startled all in his neighbourhood at the big Conference at the Quai d'Orsay by exclaiming, when a strange-looking delegate rose at the further end of the salon, "Who the is this?" 1 tiiink 1 wrote about Saturday's proceeding* that, momentous though they were, they inclined to dullness, especially during the translation of speeches, unu that .Mr. Halfour and Lord Kebert C<?udl found amusement by scribbling jaunty notes, tosbing them along the table, laughing, .and then letting the Prime Minister join in tlie fun. There is an awful rumour that Mr. Balfour and his nephew were writing Limericks about the various spoukere from Siiun and elsewhere.

TIIE SILVER BATH. The joke of the week was about Mr. Vinston Churchill's silver bath at the dajestic. In far-off war days the Maestic was exceedingly popular with Unericans, and in one of the .suites was i silver bath for the beueiit of demo•ratie but luxurious nabobs. Of course, when the new Lord Chancellor was here last week he had the suite with the silver bath. When "F.E." «ent and Winston came, it was only natural, being old friends, that the Lord Chancellor should pane on the delight to the Minister for War. It ie rumoured that when Mr. Churchill is out taking his walk of an afternoon, select parties visit his bathroom to see where he disports himself each morning. Ordinary folk at the Majestic, like Prime Ministers, for instance, think 6ilver baths must be uncomfortable. The question, over coffee and cigars, is whether Mr. Walter Long, as First Lord of the Admiralty, will have the right to turn the War Minister out of the polished bath when he comes over to Paris?

TOMMIES WELL-BEHAVED. If reports reach you in London that ' the Parisians are getting angry over the murders, hold-ups, insults to women, and rowdyism, for which foreign sol- i diers in this city are held responsible, 1 ' would like to say that the complainte i are not directed against British soldiers. Our men are exceedingly well-behaved, and the Parisians comment on their courtesy and quiet good humoilr. The way our Tommies, knowing no French, find their way about the boulevards, and , enjoy themselves, is delightful, Well, some of them do make a plunge at the language. 1 heard a Cockney chauffeur tell another driver to " get a move on, toot bally sweet." It is perhaps a lamentable thing that when the delegates to the Conference are not discussing methods to make the world better they are debating Paris restaurant prices or the brigandage of taxi-men. But food is not always expensive. On Saturday I was a guest at the restaurant which "Lo Journal" has started for the benefit of the literary staff— for, if I am not giving away a secret, all literary men are not millionaires. There is no apartment at Buckingham Palace quite so decorative as that dining-room on the premises of " Le Journal." The walls are covered with exquisite paintings by famous French artiste. The food and the 'vines were good and cheap —a steak with potatoes cost 1/SJ, and that was the most expensive item on the menu. Of course the proprietors of this wonderful paper, with a daily circulation of a million and a-quarter, bear all the attendant expenses, and food is sold at cost prices.

THE WORLD'S TRESS. All this causes mc to refer to the courtliness of the French newspaper men to the hundreds of confreres gathered from all over the world. There are something like 450 special correspondents now in Paris. I've personally run across men not only from Txmdon, but men whom I j last saw in New York. Buenos Aires. i Sydney, Tokio. We British are the most j phlegmatic, tho Latins most demonstrative, the Americans most pushful- Many of the French statesmen are, newspaper mcn —M. Clcmeneeau, the Prime Minister, and M. Pichon, the Foreign Minister, for example. Yesterday the Villa Diifayel—the most : ornate residence on the Champs Elysee —was opened on behalf of the French Oovi-rnniPnt as a club for the convenience lof foreign newspaper correspondents visiting Paris. With all the carving, gilt, mirrors, stationery, crimson upholstered ftimiture, it really seems tflo magnificent a place for scribes to smoke their pipes in whilst hurriedly preparing dispatches for ahroad. The most famous of French journalists were present to gave us welcome at luncheon, and Sir George Riddell was delightfully happy when heexpressed our indebtedness. SLOWLY GRINDING. Meanwhile the complicated wheels of the Conference are elowly grinding along. Behind the cUpi>ora ae d official communiquea are big iesues.

Each nation is presenting its case on affairs in which it is specially interested. I know nothing about what other countries have done; but I do know that the case for Britain has been prepared with elaborate carefulness. Indeed, some departments have been working on their sections for 18 months.

The Council of Ten have been tackling the problem of demobilisation in all lands. With the rapid return of soldiers to civilian life, particularly in Britain, America and France, I have heard expressions of some alarm that more vigorous artion is not taken to enforce the demobilisation of the German army. . EXEMY STILL AT WORK. Tt is not overlooked that the German soldiers have been received with enthusiasm in Berlin as the saviours of their country, heroes who for years resisted invasion by the foe- Some diplomatists take the ground that it is necessary to press upon the German people that they have Buffered a military defeat, or, when tlie Allied armies of occupation are depleted, the Germane may turn round and strike another blow. The answer to thie is that General Foch has drawn the teeth of the enemy in the stores and guns which have been claimed and the ease with which enemy transport can be crippled. But I find a belief, especially in Parisian journalistic circles, that German subtle influences are at work to set the different Allied Powers by the ears, to j create antagonisms which would be to the advantage of Germany. Some troublesome times are ahead; but it may be taken that the Allies are on their guard.