DANUBIAN COUNTRIES

Evening Star, Issue 21072, 8 April 1932, Page 9

DANUBIAN COUNTRIES

* THE LONDOH CONFERENCE WHOLE PROBLEM DISCUSSED (British Official Wireless.) Press Association- -By Telegraph—Copyright. RUGBY, April 6. A very promising exploration of the whole problem before the Four-Power Conference was undertaken at its first meeting to-day, and delegates are hopeful that valuable results will be registered before the conference concludes, probably on Friday. Full delegations from France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom attended the conference, which was held at the Foreign Office this afternoon. It rose after a three-hour session, and a communique which was issued later stated: “ An exchange of views took place as regards the problems inherent in the present economic and financial circumstances'of the Danubian States and the nature of the measures which would bo most appropriate for their solution. Before the conference adjourned a committee was appointed to report on this subject to the conference when it resumes at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday. The four Powers agreed to appoint a committee of experts, one from each of the four Powers, to consider the problems raised by the recent report of the Finance Committee of the League of Nations on the financial state of certain countries of Central and Southeastern Europe.”

It is understood that the committee of the conference will in effect be composed of the heads of delegations, and that Mr Ramsay MacDonald will act as chairman. The Committee of Experts which the four Powers has appointed to examine the report of the Financial Committee of tho League of Nations will consist of representatives of the Treasuries and Governments concerned.

The feeling was expressed at to-day’s meeting that there was a danger of some very valuable reports, prepared under the auspices of the League of Nations, being neglected because there was not an executive authority to take them into detailed consideration. The report published last week has a very definite bearing on the subject before the Four-Power Conference, and, as is already known, it is to be considered next Tuesday at a specially convened meeting of the League of Rations Council. All the members of the Expert Committee which has been appointed have not yet reached London, but they will begin work as soon as possible, and they may continue their deliberations on the proposals made in the League report after the present conference has concluded. CONFLICT OF OPINION LONDON, April 7. ‘The Times’ says: “It .is understood that the Danubian discussions revealed a definite conflict of opinion, the Italians and Germans opposing the formation of a Danubian group, which they consider, especially if Germany is excluded, would be unduly favourable to Czecho-Slovakia in view of its greater industrialisation. The Germans oppose the French proposals, preferring a Customs union which would embrace the Danubians, including Germany, Italy, and Poland, and possibly excluding Czecho-Slovakia. Italy also urged that the four Powers should participate in the conference with the Danubians, but the British and French desire to limit the discussions to the Danubians, with the four Powers as advisers.” SEARCHING FOR BASIS OF AGREEMENT (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, April 7. (Received April 8, at noon.) The following communique was issued after to-day’s sitting of the FourPower Conference on the Danubian situation:— “ The committee appointed by the Four-Power Conference yesterday sat at the Foreign Office and examined the main proposals put forward at the conference. A report of the proceedings will be made to the conference at its meeting to-morrow morning at 10 p’clock.” It is understood that during to-day’s long discussions the delegates found problems arising which some of the Governments represented require to consider further before committing themselves to any definite attitude; consequently the conference will tomorrow adjourn, arrange to resume at a later date, possibly at Geneva, or, if more convenient, in some other Continental centre. The adjournment is not likely to be of long duration, because all the four Powers are agreed at least upon the urgency of the Danubian problem. Meanwhile the Governments will be able to study the questions at issue in relation to their own individual interests, and in the interval further information and data not at the disposal of the present conference will be collected. An agreement was not obtainable today because the delegates found themselves unable to give a definite reply on certain essential points, the main

issue being whether the Governments represented would bo willing to waive their rights under the most-favoured-nation clauses in order to permit the Danubian States a little more freedom to make Customs and fiscal arrangements. The British Government takes the view that rigid insistence on the most-favoured-nation rights by the Great Powers must necessarily impede any measures which the Danubian States can adopt to restore the flow of normal trade. The different economic interests of the different States concerned proved one of the obstacles which the conference so far has failed to overcome. The British and French proposals have been taken as a basis of discussion during the conference, and various alternative suggestions have been put forward by the German and Italian delegates. The difficulties encountered are not considered insuperable, and British circles are still hopeful that an agreed plan will before long be evolved.