TENSION RENEWED

Evening Star, Issue 23100, 28 October 1938, Page 12

TENSION RENEWED

POSITION IN LITHUANIA GERMAN LEADERS DEMAND AUTONOMY FOR MEMEL Press Association—Bv Telegraph -Copyright KAUNAS, October 27. (Received October 28, at 10 a.m.) German leaders ’ demanded full autonomy for Memel at a specially called meeting of the Diet. Tension is renewed. Thousands demonstrated throughout the city, and greeted Herr Saucker with shouts of “ One Reich! One people! One leader! Out with the Jews!”

[Memel is situated on the Baltic Sea at the mouth of the river Niemen. By the terms of a convention in 1924, which settled the status of Memel Territory (city and a small district), the Governments of Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan provided for the autonomy of the territory so as to preserve the “ traditional rights and culture of its inhabitants.” While sovereignty over the territory is Lithuanian, as shown, for example, by the fact that the President of Lithuania. appoints the Governor of Memel Territory, at the same time ample provisions are made for the competence of the local authorities_ in legislative. judicial, administrative, _ and financial matters. The Governor is assisted by a directory of five members who act as a sort of Cabinet, but all are responsible to the Chamber of Representatives, and its five members may not hold office after the confidence of the chamber has been withheld. Full provision is made for equality of rights of citizenship as between the inhabitants of Memel Territory and Lithuania, who may pass from one to the other. To provide revenues for Memel Territory, agreements are made between Lithuania and the territory which determine what percentage of revenues shall be assigned to the latter from monopolies, Customs duties, excise duties, and commodity taxes. The port of Memel is declared a port of international concern. The expenses for its maintenance and development, and the public waterways, are provided by the Lithuanian with contributions from Memel Territory. A harbour board now administers the port of Memel. It consists of three persons—one Lithuanian appointee, one representative from Memel Territory, one member named by the League of Nations. Memel Territory, which has an area of 853 square miles, and a population of over 150,000, was detached from East Prussia by the Treaty of Versailles. German Nazi influence has been rife there for some years.]