CZECHO-SLOVAKS

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 16, 18 July 1918, Page 8

CZECHO-SLOVAKS

WORLD-WIDE ORGANISATION

The cabled news that 15,000 of the Czechoslovak army have entered Vladivostok, captured the Soviet headquarters, the National Bank, municipal offices, and a quantity of munitions, and established Vladivostok as a commissariat for Siberia; and that another Czechoslovak army has completely defeated 3000 Finnish and German troops at Kondale, is of interest to Australia (says the Sydney Herald), because Czecho-Slovak force* have been recruited here.

The Czecho-Slovak" army was authorised by a decree singed by M. Poineare, President, M. Clemenceau, Premier, and M. Pidion, Foreign Minister, of France, which was officially .punished on 17th December last. By this decree the Czecho-Slovak army allied itself to the French High Command, subject to the same dispositions as • regards organisation, hierarchy, administration, and military discipline as those in force in the French army, but, from the political point of .view, is under the direction of the Czecho-Slovak ' National Council, whose headquarters are in Paris. The number of Czecho-Slovaks who enlisted at the outbreak of war in the French army was considerable. "The gaps in their ranks," declared M. Poincare, when signing the decree in December last, "prove the ardour with which they fought against our enemies." The Czecho-Slovak army in France totalled a couple of-months ago 125,000. The Slave resident in Australia contributed_ a quota. There are not many Czechs in Australasia, but in a general way there are many other branches of the Slavs, chiefly Yugo-Slavs—or southerners. For the most part they 'are Croatians. In New Zealand they arechiefly employed, as kauri gum-diggers; in Western Australia the majority are miners. They have a national organisation, "with headquarters at Boulder City, Western Australia; and in November last an Australasian Yugo-Slav Legiou was" despatched from Australia. It was' recruited from all the States, with the co-operation of Mr. W. G. Jira, of Pitt-street, Sydney, .himself a Czech, and, though not large in point of members, the legion has done splendid service. Attached at first to the Servian army, it was on service at'Salonica. Some of its members have lost their lives. Others went from Australia, and joined up with legions formed in ■ America.

Neither, the Czechs nor • the Yugoslavs have merely "drifted" together. The organisation of the army was the fruition of two years' endeavour amongst the Slavs of all countries. Directing the organisation are vast national committees, with headquarters in London and the United States, whoee ramifications extend to every country and to every city —even to Australia.! The Czechs, and the Slovaks in particular, have been of inestimable value in checkmating German influence. In the United States especially they claim to have concentrated their political work in counteracting German propaganda and strikes in munition factories.

None of the Slav nations have the slightest love for the Germans, the Auetrians, or the Magyars. Least of all have the Czechs or the Moravians, both of whom, occupying adjoining territories, have been enslaved by their more powerful neighbours for centuries. The other Slav nationalities have taken the same attitude, with the exception of Bulgaria—and the strategical use of the Czechb-Slovak army to inspire the Russian Slavs to. regeneration contains the germ of great moral results.