PEACE CONFERENCE

Evening Star, Issue 16950, 24 January 1919, Page 3

PEACE CONFERENCE

THE RUSS’ AT PROBLEM. AGREEMENT REACHED. VARIOUS GOVERNMENTS RECOGNISED IF HOSTILITIES CEASE. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. PARIS, January 20. M. Noulens (recently French Ambassador in Russia) gave evidence at the conierence on Mommy, and the Danish Minister from Betrugiad' will give evidence to-nuxrrow. M. Sazonoff has joined AIM. Makati)lf. Barton, and Korff at Paris. It will be something like a national advisory committee when Fohaykovsky has arrived January 21. The 1 Morning Post’s ’ Paris correspondent states that M. Noulens's strong appeal for intervention greatly impressed Ministers. A largo army was stated to be uimeoessary, but subsidiary aid was essential Ueneral Koiteiiaks organisation in the East is developing rapidly. lie controls 160,000 troops, and Monarchists and Republicans are laQying round a programme for the restoration of order. The ‘Petit Parisien’ had. au interview with M. Sazonoff, who applauded tiie antiBolshevist efforts of M. Market! and General Deniken, but said that the support of the Entente was required in oieur to supply material. The soviet regime would be eoon overcome if firm action were taken. .

Air Fraser states that it is understood that Great Britain and America have reached a complete understanding on the Russian situation. Some time ago a suggestion was made that if the various Russian Governments cor’d arrive at some agreement among themselves measures would be taken to secure their representation at the Peace Conference. It is possibly along these lines that America and Britain have agreed. An official communique states that President Wilson and the Premiers and Foreign Ministers of the great Powers, assisted by Japan, received M. Scaveuiuss statement, giving ail the information at his disposal, in reference to Russian parties. Very great progress was made towards an agreement, and it is hoped that a concrete proposal will be formulated to-morrow. January 22. President Wilson addressed the conference on the Russian situation, outlining a plan. It is understood that -Mr Lloyd George fears that military intervention would lead to the creation of a national army on the lines of the French Revolution French opinion urges support for the Poles, thereby limiting the. spread of Bolshevism. The conference reached an agreement regarding Russia, in the form of inviting all de facto Governments, including the Bolsheviks. to send representatives, provided they prove they age nob conducting war outside their own territory. The Interallied Conference decided to invite the Russian factors to confer with the Allies at Princes Island, in the Sea of Marmora. LONDON, January 22. The Conference have accepted President Wilson’s proposal regarding Russia, disclaiming any desire to interfere in the Russians’ right to settle their own affairs. Every organised group exercising political and military control in Siberia and European Russia will send three representatives, who will meet allied representatives at Princes Island, in the Sea of Marmora, on February 15, in o’dor to discuss Russia’s wishes about bringing about happy internal relations. The invitation is conditional on the cessation of all hostilities. January 20. The ‘Daily Chronicle’s’ diolomatic correspondent says: The interdependence of Poland, Esthonia, and other" conMR parts of the old Russian Empire inspires the belief that the only real remedv r the present anarchy is federation, and such a solution would probably receive sympathetic consideration at the Peace Conference. BRITISH OVERSEAS REPRESENTATION. LONDON. January 21. The fifth seat on the British delegation will be placed at the disposal of the Overseas Dominion delegates. January 22. Mr Lloyd George has expressed to Mr Massey his regret that he had failed to secure dual representation for New Zealand. The matter will be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting. JAPAN AND THE PACIFIC. Reuter’s Telegrams. LONDON, January 21.

The ‘Daily Mews's’ Paris correspondent learns that British circles opine that secret treaties made during the war should he regarded as profoundly modified by later events, such as America’s entry into the war. America is taking a strong line regarding them. It is understood that there is an agreement between the Allies and Japan, giving Japan possession of the Caroline and Marshall Islands, which Australia strongly opposes.

PARIS, January 21. Mr Keith Murdoch states that in interviews given by Mr Hughes to American journalists he indicated his intention strenuously to oppose the Japanese annexation of the Marshall and Caroline Islands. President Wilson desired that the Pacific Islands should be. internationalised under the League of Nations, with Great Britain as the mandatory Power charged by the league with administration and control. Great Britain and Japan wish the line of the Equator to divide the sphere of influence, Australia and New Zealand annexing the islands southward and Japan those northward of the Equator. Great Britain claims that Mr Fisher’s Government in 1915 accepted this solution. It appears that Mr Hughes does not agree to this plan. An urgent question is whether Australasia would prefer America as the mandatory Power for all German possessions in the Pacific, or Britain, or a solution by accepting the Equator as marking the terminus of the southward descent of the Japanese. Perhaps it is still possible to secure mandatory control over the Marshalls and Carolines for Britain, provided Japan received territorial compensation elsewhere. BALKANS CAMPAIGN. ITS CLOSING STAGES. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association and Beuter. LONDON, January 21. A Gazette contains a despatch from General Milne describing the important part the British played in the offensive of last September against the Bulgarians between Nike Doiran and Vardar. The British fought sanguinary battles on the 18th and 19th of September, suffering and inflicting severe losses in assaults on dominating the elaborately fortified heights on the P Ridge and the Grand Courorine. These battles served their object. -Mulch 'was to pin down the Bulgarian reserves, so that they would not be available to oppose the great Franco-Serbian attack, which burst through and led to the utter defeat of the enemy. The despatch incidentally mentions that when news of the armistice with Turkey was received General Milne was actually on the river Maritza, ready to occupy Adrianople, while the First itellenic Corps was echeloned between Kavalla and Drama, ready to participate in a general advance upon Constantinople.

EAST AFRICA. YAN EVENTER CRITICISED. CAPE TOWN, January 21. Now that the war is over, the prolongation of the East African campaign is becoming a subject of increasing criticism. A strong article in the ‘ Cape Times ’ by Mr Owon Letcher, a widely-known authority on Central Africa, demands the appointment of a commission of inquiry. He asserts that the total strength of the fenemv at the time of General Northey’s departure scarcely numbered • More cars were possessed by our mechanical transport, and we had an overwhelming superiority in numbers, besides an organisation extending from Cape Town to Nairobi; also two main'headqu-irters at Dar-es-S I’m and Zomba, which employed a much larger number of officers than the whole of Yon Lettow’s European force. It is commonly understood that the East African campaign cost much more than the Boer War. Only a strong committee of unbiased men can give a satisfactory answer to the question : Why was the enmpaien not finished months and months ago? Banquet speeches and congratulatory telegrams must not be allowed to obscure the issue. NEW ZEALAND DECORATIONS. Australian and N.Z Gable Association and Reuter. LONDON, January 21. Military Grosses have been awarded to the following New Zealanders: —Second Lieutejiaiits F. L. Boron (CVclist Corps), W. K. Cameron and C. V. Oiochetto (Machine Gun Corps), L. B. Foster (Thirteenth Field Artillery), F. G. Sinclair (First Canterbury Company), and Ser-geant-major G. F. Webster* (Second Rifle Brigade). WAR FINANCE. SOME QIC FIGURES. AN AUSTRALIAN PROPOSAL. EMPIRE WAR DEBT COMMISSION. LONDON, January 20. _ It is anticipated that the total subscriptions to war bonds, the sale of which ceased on Saturday, will exceed £1.600,000.000 since the sale opened in October, 1917. OTTAWA, Jfmuary 22. Speaking at Winnipeg, Mr Meghan (Minister of the Interior) said that Canada intended expending £10.000,000 on public works and railways. The Canadian war d'bt had reached a total of £200,000,000. and the country’s total debt is expected to reach £300,000,000. MELBOURNE. January 23. At a conference of Federal and State Ministers Mr Watt (Acting Prime .Minister) dealt with the financial position. He raid the outlook for the Commonwealth was serious, and foreshadowed a reduced revenue from taxation, while the- expenses of the A lie trali.■in army had kept up, and repatriation would cost scores of millions of pounds. In view of thesr facts the Commonwealth proposed to diminish the present payment of 25s per head of .surplus revenue, to Ihe States progressively by 2s 6d yearly till it reached 10s per head in 1926. Mr Watt added that sooner or later the States would have to do without any Commonwealth lu-ip Tho reduction will not start till the financial year 1920-21. Dealing with the increased Commonwealth expenditure. Mr Watt said them had been an increase of over £2,000,000 yearly in tho old age pensions. In the, early stages of the scheme many persons refused pensions New over 99 per cent, of those entitled to them accepted them. He indicated that the maternity bonus would in future be confined to those really needing it. On the question of co-ordinate borrowing, Mr Watt outlined a scheme for the creation of an Empire War Debt Commission to take over the war debts of the United Kingdom, Dominions, and other parts of tho Empire, each Government having representatives on the Commission, all debts at December 31 next to he taken over, and all sinking funds and redemption funds Hum existing to be vested in the funds of the Commission. Mr Watt stated that tho Federal Government were making the necessary representations to the various Governments interested, recommending the adoption of the proposal. Ho indicated the possibility of including various State debts as part of the scheme.