GERMAN CONQUERORS' HARSH PEACE TERMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 101, 2 May 1939, Page 9

GERMAN CONQUERORS' HARSH PEACE TERMS.

PRESS REMINDER.

Humiliating Treatment Of Defeated Nations.

OFFSET TO NAZI PLAINT

British Official Wireless

(Rprcivpfl 12 noon.) Rl'tißY, May 1. World eommrntnry during the work-end on Herr Hit lor'.-s Reichstag -.porch confirms tlio first reading of I hi , speech (hat it offers mi perceptible contribution, to casing the interiintiiiruil tension.

Another xuhject for Picsh comment hm relation to repented and violent rritieiMiis of the Vrrsnilles Treaty and ii.'u-piqirrs reeall the terms of the tri-iitifs concluded l>y (ieriiuiny nt I!re*tLitovxk iind Kiicliiircst after the defeat of the l;iis-.iiins and Uiiinariiaiis.

" The Times,' , sumimirising (|, o effect of these treaties, sii \ s that after a series of ultimatums and ever-increasing deninnd.4 Russia lost at Mrcst-Litovsk over tW.IMm.tMM) of her population and a quarter of her territory with a third of her crops and u third of her State income.

The whole of tho T'krninc as far as tin- Black. Sen. was tiikcn from her. The Caucasus went, in a large measure to Turkey, *nn«l tin- Finns wore encouraged td make, claims later on for Finnish Petrograd.

Tho terms of the nucha rest Treaty worn humiliating and disastrous to Rumania. Not only wns territory taken from her, hut tho whole of her economic resources were to be at the disposal of the conquerors, who were to have the right of military transport by way of a corridor through Moldavia and Bessiirabin, nnd the command over two ports on tho Mlack Sea.

Hitler Ended Two Treaties. For practical purposes what emerges from Hcrr Hitler's speech is tkat two treaties wcro terminated. As far as Hritain \a concerned it is unlikely that there will ho any reply to the. .speech n|>nrt from tho. acknowledgment of an abrupt ending of the naval agreement.

It is in accordance with his usual procedure that when Hcrr Hitler arbitarily denounces a treaty he declares his readiness to negotiate a new one, but it is agreed in London that no useful purpose would be served by negotiating a new bilateral treaty to replace the N'aval Treaty.

Regarding the ending of the ten-year fierman-Polish Treaty after five years, there ie much comment on Herr Hitler's pretext for bringing it to a sudden end. It is pointed out that, contrary to Herr llit.lerV* MBertion, Germany's comprehensive proposals to Poland were not rejected. Poland replied by submitting n I tentative*. The decision to do m> waa taken solely on Polish responsibility and without consultation with Britain.

Kerr Hitler owd ae a pretext for his denunciation of the treaty the existence of the British defensive assurances to i'olnnd, which are declared to constitute a Polhih violation of the treaty. In fact, th •Sβ assurances were exchanged after Poland's attitude had already been made clf'iir, and in London it is recognised that, as the preliminary agreement over Danzig shows, Poland, while refusing to yield to an ultimatum or to force, is prepared to negotiate with Germany on reasonable terms on the subject. STATE GRANT STOPS. CATHOLICS IK AUSTRIA. (Received 2 p.m.) VIENNA, May 1. A decree cute off the Roman Catholic Church/a State grant arid places Catholics in the same financial position as other denominations.