TENSION RELAXED. ON THE MOROCCO QUESTION

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 26, 31 July 1911, Page 7

TENSION RELAXED. ON THE MOROCCO QUESTION

CONFERENCES IN PARIS. FOREIGN. MINISTER HOPEFUL. Sy Telefiraph.—Press Assooiatiou.^Copyiigfit. ■ (Received July 31, 8.40 a.m.) PARIS, 30th July. Sir Francis Bertie, British Ambassa^ dc-r in Paris, has coti-erred with M. De Selves, the French Foreign Minister, The newspaper Le Temps states that the two representatives discussed what portion of the Congo France was prepared to cede to Germany in exchange for a free hand in Morocco, M. ,De Selves, after a Cabinet Council, stated that he waa hopeful a new treaty would be concluded eatisfyiflg the parties interested. kaiser. Joined by his ministers. a press prediction. (Received July 31, 8.45 a.m.) BERLIN, 30tli July. (Herr yon Bethmann-Hollweg, Impsfial Chancellor and Hrtr yon Kiderlen' Waechter, Minister for Foreign Affairs have joined the Kaiser on board the Imperial yacht Hohensiollern. The inspired prees predict that the visit will strengthen the Foreign Minister's policy in regard to Agadtf. FRENCH WAR OFFICE RE> ORGANISED. A GENERALISSIMO APPOINTED. m ■ Paris. 30th July. The reorganisation of ,tfle W%r Ol8c« hag resulted in the appointment of General Joffre as Generalissimo. THE SITOAttON IMPROVED, compensation"!]* the congo, does Mr. asUlTith approve? LONDON, 29th July. There &n indications ift the newspapers tnat ths tension with regard to Morocco hafe been seneibly relieved. The German , and Austrian newspapers a.re SbmeWliat puizled at the situation . and are glad that there have been Reference* to the Congo. Th&y claim that Mr. Asquith has recognised Germany 'c right to compensation for the French de. velopments ift M&rocco, UNDERWRITING RISKS. ONLY A SMALL INCREASE. MELBOURNE, 30th July. The Underwriters' Association has r& Ceived cable notification that the followmg^ war rates are to be imposed : — Steamers, o-titwa.Ms, ont-SiXteenth per ceftt. increase. Sailers, homewards and .outwards, onequarter per cent, increase. This is art indication that LloycTe do not regard the situation seriously, as war riskc- are seldom computed in fractions. BRITISH ENGAGEMENTS, DO THEY IMPLY ARMED SUPPORT? Britain's interest in Morocco, as defined by the 'Anglo-French Agreement,' does not necessarily imply actual support to France if that country should hs involved in war, though it k conceivable that a secret arrangement with that end may have been ientered into. By tho Agreement signed on Btli April. 1904, the French Government declared that it had no intention of altering tho political status of Morocco, and the British Government recognised that it appertained Lb France to preserve order in that conn try, and to provide aesistance for tho purpose of all administrative, economic, financial, and military reforms which it may l-eqtiire, provided that the treaty rights of Great Britain, including the nght of coasting trade between tile ports of Morocco' enjoyed by British vessels since 1901, were left intact ; and that British, commerce, including' goods in transit through French territory, and destined for the Moorish market, wem tieated on a footing of absolute equality with that of France. In order to secure the free pafcsago ol the Straits ot Gibraltar, the two Governments agreed not to permit, nof to undertake, the construction of fortifications on the Moorish coast between Melilla and the River Sebon, excepting the places occupied by, Spain. The two Governments took into special Consideration the interests of Spain in Morocco, and the French Government undertook to come to aft understanding with the Spanish Government in regard to them, and to communicate eXlch agreement to Britain, The Agreement _ Was made binding for thirty years, _with provision for extension. A similar Agreement was concluded between France and Spain in October 6f the same year. Both Agreements were unaffected by the subsequent Act of Algecifa«, which allotted the policing of certain parts of Morocco to France and Spain, and granted some commercial concessions to Germany,