THE NEW POLAND

Evening Post, Volume XCIX, Issue 121, 22 May 1920, Page 5

THE NEW POLAND

DELICATE PROBLEMS.

- Stanislas Patek, who is" Minister of Foreign Affairs, of the new Polish Cabinet, recently granted an interview to a representative of the Temps, Paris, in which he spoke with Croat freedom of the different delicate problems which his country is actually confronting.

After having expressed, his satisfaction for the kindly feelings manifested in France toward Poland, Mr. Patek added : "Foreigners have already become nucustomed to the idea that Poland exists, but they cannot realise the sum of efforts and energy necessary to put Poland on her ftiet. Six months ago we still possessed three Polands, Russian, German, and Austrian,, It was riot easy to unite in a few .months that which had existed during a. century and a-half under different laws and .administrative systems. A year ago we possessed a tiny organisation which was arming itself secretly in the face of the German Government; to-day our army outnumbered 500,000 men !

"The Treaty of Versailles," declared Mr; Patek, "insures us the most diverse conditions of existence, but at the same time it paralyses our movements. After many long months the Peace Conference constituted plebiscites everywhere, which allowed us to hops that we might recover the greater part of the Polish territory of the west; But the League's decisions remain for. the present on. paper. As a fact, the ( most argent question for us just, now is the ratification and execution of the Treaty.

"On all sides frontier are uncertain, and this uncertainty continually hampers national work. We know neither tie extent of our territory nor the number of our population, nor our wealth and means of production, and we are continually meeting administrative difficulties produced by lack of frontiers."

The Poles, declares Mr. Patok, are obliged to witness, as mere spectators, their enemies or allies wieldjnft the power, 'whilst striving to prepare favourable ground for their, sphere of influence. These enforced delays may he distinctly prejudicial to the cause of the Poles. > Public opinion in Poland, he declared, realises perfectly this unfortunate situation, and is beginning to ask itself if, under such circumstances, the plebiscite will nqt .become another new and legal form of oppression.