ROUMANIA'S PEACE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 October 1918, Page 8

ROUMANIA'S PEACE.

COMMENTS ON TUT TREATY. INSATIABLE GERMAN GREED. OFFICIAL OBSERVATIONS. Tlie following "Observations by the Allied Ministers at Jnssy with regard to the conditions of peace. imposed upon Rouniania. by th© Central Powers," dated 16th May, 1918. were recently presented to both Houses or Parliament, and published in the form of a, White Paper. To complete the information we hare already furnished, we communicate a. statement of tb» conditions imposed on Rouniania, wliicli demonstrate in the best possible manner thoi insatiable greed and hypocrisy of German Imperialism. By request of the Germans, one of the reports states, that the treaty admits of neither annexation nor indemnity; but the territories taken from Roumauia in tin; JJobrudja and in the mountain districts contain about one-tenth of the entire population, or more than 800,000 inhabitant,-.!, and extend to more than •26.000 sqi: .iv kilometres (over 10,000 square miles). Strategic reahave been invoked tj justify the rectification oi' frontiers. Tha-c----pretext is absurd; if the Central Empires were to emerge victorious \ Rouniania would remain in the position of a. German colony, and could not in any way constitute a menaco 1 •) tliem; on the other hand, the victory of the Entente would reestablish the Kingdom in its integrity, a fact which cannot out i«j recognised by our enemies. In reality, the most fertile forests of the mountain district arc included in the territories joined to Hungary and the principal object of tnese rectifications has been by this means; to round off the spoiling estates of the Hungarian nobles and to ensure the prosperity of the forest exploitation companies, in which so many persons of importance in tlie two Emniros are interested, and which will thus be in a position to create a monopoly of building timber. A VIRTUAL WAP. INDEMNITY. The Central Empires have stated that the territories taken from Rouniania wei'e uninhabited. That is net the case. The district annexed to Hungary contains 170 villages, with n total population of over 130,000 inhabitants. This nnnuJatioii is exclusively of the purest Roumanian stock, and has preserved its nationality through successive invasions in tlie mountain valleys, where it found an inviolable refuge during the dommination of the Turk. Finally, the monopoly in the exploitation of the forests and the sale of the timber, as 'well as in the export of cereals, set up by the treaty to the profit of Germany, in reality represent a war indemnity, the payment of which will weigh heavily on Rouniania for a long time to conic From this year onwards tlie profit which Germany will realise as a. result oH the difference between the real value of the cereals and the prices imposed will be considerable. ■ Furthermore, the Austro-Germans have enforced tlie concession to themselves of the right to fix the amount r-L cerals to he exported, and the valuation or this amount is to Iw m..lie to relation t:> their needs and not in : elation to the abundance of the harvests. By virtue of this arrangement Rouniania, even after the signature of peace, will be forced to submit to a measure of rationing ■which may well amount to famine. Finally, it is the Roumanian Government who'must advance the price of produce purchased.by the Central Empires, opening for them a current account, which need not be settled till a later elate and at the hitter's convenience. The treaty has laid down a timelimit, within which the Roumanian Parliament are to approve its terms; no limit is provided for the exchange of ratifications; any unwillingness on the part of one of the interested Governments will thus be sufficient to ensure the indefinite prolongation to their profit of the enormous advantages which the Austro-Germansare still gaining from the state of war, which in theory, still exists. Tho peace of 1913 has not yet been rati- 1 > tied by the Bulgarian Chambers, and this isj a. precedent which can bo followed; besides, the ratification of the treaty by the 'Roumanian Parlia- ■ meut, which will certainly take place, can scarcely be considered as strict- ■ }y legal. The two great historical : Roumanian parties abstained from participating in the election of this Parliament, which thus took place i under the "pressure of the German i occupation, before the .Roumanian : soldiers had ben able to ret urn to' their homes in order to fake part in it, and in pursuance of an eleetoral law which had been abrogated ■ bv the Parliament dissolved by the "Ma r-hi lonian Ministry: this former . Parliament was alone qualified to , set up the new electoral system on ] the basis of universal suffrage, which had already been voted in principle. | The names of the candidates, in this j pretence ni ' ;in election were sub- j nutted for the approval of the German authorities, who. in any case. -, were already in possession of all ' licccssai-v guarantees, owing to the \ previous appointment of M. Margin- ( lonian and to the abstention of the pro-Entente party. ' '•BARBAROUS EXPLOITATION." < Far from giving Rouniania. par- ? tial freedom, the present peace will .

complete her subjugation and her ruin; Germany will continue to occupy her territories, even after the ratification, which, &s we have seen* she can put off ay, long as, she may wish; the navigation of tho Danube, the posts' and telegraphs, and the railways remain under German control ; by request of the Roumanian Government, a German delegate ha,-) been appointed to each Ministry. War material and munitions are to be stored in the occupied territories and under the care of the German military authorities; finally, Rouniania may only keep in being the forces necessary for policing her territory.

A German company for agricultural exploitation has been founded l with a capital of P 0.000,000 francs. It seeks to create a monopoly of Roumanian agricultural produce under th a form of long leases, concluded under cover of the occupation, recognised by tlie treaties, and amounting in. realitv to expropriation in disguise. On the signature of tho treatv of peace, the German command promulgated an order requirvvx the entire male population of the occupied territories., that is to s:w. of two-thirds of Roumania, between the ages of 1-1 and GO. to carry out such work as may be asjdigued to them. The penalties for disobedience include deportation and imprisonment, and, in some eases, which are not expressly defined, even that of death.

To sum up, Germany,, by the treaty she has imposed on Rouniania., has cynically ignored her own declarations. This treaty provides for tho spoliation of the public lands, for the scarcely-concealed annexation of the whole country, and, after the peace, for its barbarous exploitation and for the draining of its resources to the profit of the conquerors: it turns Rouniania into a veritable convict settlement, where the entire population is condemned to hard labour for the benefit of the eonouerors. It is a fair example of a German peace. We should consider it all the more closely, inasmuch as the German delegates informed the Roumanian delegates, who were appalled at being compelled to accept pnoli conditions, that they would appreciate their moderation when the V knew those which would be imposed on the Western Powers after the victorv of the Central Empires.