A BREAK DOWN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 4758, 4 January 1918, Page 5

A BREAK DOWN.

PEACE NEGOTIATIONS BROKEN OFF.

GREEDY GERMANS OVERSTEP THE MARK.

RUSSIANS JEER AT ENEMY DELEGATES.

BOLSHEVIKS’. STRONG ATTITUDE.

Australian and N.Z. nable Association LONDON, Jan. 2. The Daily News Petrograd correspondent states* that peace negotiations have been broken off owing to Germany’s attitude in regard to Poland and Lithuania.

Tlie Daily News’ Petrograd correspondent states that representatives of the Central Powers, presuming on Russia’s isolation, claimed that Poland, Lithuania, and Courland had already defined tlieir positions, but as the Ukraine would not recognise Mhe negotiations. Germany demanded retention of the garrisons at Riga, Libau, and other strategic points. The Russian delegates were uncompromising, and declared that selfdefinition was impossible until the last German soldier had left the country.

They jeered at the Germans, asking whether they proposed to take Petrograd and feed three million starving folk; to disarm the country where every workman carried a rifle; also what the Germans proposed to tell their own democracy which opposed annexations.

The Germans requested time to consider.

The Russians -refused and left Brest Litovsk. A considerable number of Red Guards have been sent to reinforce the forts, and other defence preparations are in progress.

KALEDIN’S FORCES GROWING.

20,000 OFFICERS JOIN UP

HEAVY FIGHTING IN PROGRESS

Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. PETROGRAD Jan. 2.

Twenty thousand officers have joined General Kaledin, finding.life in the re-organised army insupportable. Kaledin organised a special corps of officers.

The Cossacks surprised and disarmed the Bolsheviki garrisons at Alexandrovsk, Orenburg aiid Ivazatin. Violent fighting continues at Irkutsk. Whole districts of the town were destroyed by fire. Many civilians are dying of cold. Tlie situation on the Roumanian front is tragic. Relations between the Bolsheviki and the Roumanian officers are alarming. Tlie Roumanians occupied the Bessarabian town of Locva, and several villages, and arrested and shot several Bolsheviki leaders. General Tsherbatsheff abstained from sending provisions and forage to the Bolsheviki Fourth Army. Trotsky addressed a Note to tlie Roumanian Ambassador with the object of outlining the Soviet’s demands and threatening harsh measures against Roumanians aiding Kaledin. The Roumanian Ambassador replied that the Russian division was now without organisation. Men leave the front without authority and plunder Roumanian villages, which are suffering enormously through their exCGSS6S. A wireless Russian report states that Trotsky lias appointed Citizen Litvcnoff provincial plenipotentiary in London and lias ordered tlie Embassy military mission and other Russian officials in England to hand over documents to Litvenoff. Citizen Karpinsky has been given a similar appointment. RUSSIANS DEMAND BIG LOAN. FINNISH REPUBLIC TO BE RECOGNISED.

Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received Jan. 3, 7.50 p.m.) PETROGRAD, Jan. 2. The Russians are demanding a loan of two milliards of francs from tlie Austro-Germans. •, The- Bolshevik News Agency states that the People’s Commissioners have informed the FinnisK Government of their willingness to recognise the political independence of the Finnish Republic.

UKRAINE’S DEMANDS.

AGREEMENT WITH BOLSHEVIKS

Reuter’s Telegrams. (Received Jan. 4, 1.35 p.m.) PETROGRAD, Jan. 2

The Bolshevik News Agency announces that the Ukraine Rada is willing to agree to. the Bolshevik demands not to take or facilitate military measure against Bqlsheviks conditionally on money being sent to Ukraine and the Ukraine Republic being officially recognised. AUSTRIAN VERSION OF PROCEEDINGS. DAILY NEWS’ STORY CONTRADICTED. RUSSIA’S CHANGE OF GROUND. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association (Received Jan. 3, 7.50 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 2. Vienna messages contradict the Daily News’ version of the Brest Litovsk negotiations, and declare that negotiations will be resumed on Saturday, adding—- “ Russia has adopted the standpoint that peoples already belonging to a definite State .cannot have the right to decide their own destinies, because they already possess a constitutional means of' gaining their ends.” . ' . It is reported that Russia has informed the Entente of this change of view. ~ , The Vienna message reiterates that in the event of the Entente not joining, the negotiations will oe continned, with a view to a separate peace with Russia. TALKING PEACE AND PREACHING WAR. GERMANY A NATION DIVIDED. SIGNIFICANT REVELATIONS Reuter’s' Telegrams. (Received Jan. 3, 7.50 P-m.) LONDON, Jan. 2. A significant sidelight on the peace manoeuvres at Brest Litovsk is an anti-peace propaganda, which, according to the Petit Parisienne, the German High Command is conducting in the trenches. A document has been circulated declaring that the Sneidmann -peace which the Ueiman delegates at Brest Litovsk accepted, would ruin Germany, foi whose future development the possession of Briey and! Longwy and a basis of economic and military control in Belgium are essential.