The Grey River Argus MONDAY, August 14, 1944. EUROPE’S MINORITY PROBLEMS.

Grey River Argus, 14 August 1944, Page 4

The Grey River Argus MONDAY, August 14, 1944. EUROPE’S MINORITY PROBLEMS.

The canvas of future Pacific controls, of vast trade expansion, and of widely flung garrisons, by the Americans, now drawn by Mr. Roosevelt, as also of post-war conscription for service oversea, is a further reminder that peacetable territorial allocations not only will be a tremendous task, but fraught with great risks for the peace foundations intended. In Europe alone there are reckoned to be two dozen problems. A Washington report to-day says Austria is to be separated from Germany, and to be under Allied control until its harrassed people somehow obtain economic and political stability. Berlin is to be likewise controlled, but the I’est of the Reich is meantime to be occupied by the forces of one of the Big Three: One problem is Czechoslovakia, a majority of whose population before the war were not Czechs. Slovaks and Germans therein are unwilling to be ruled by Czechs, and with 52 per cent, of minorities the Soviet’s support for the Czechs may not avail to cement their hold. Yugoslavia is another conundrum, as Croats and Serbs disagree. It will be a case of the Serbs and the King versus Tito and his Croat and Slovene supporters. In Hungary the popular wish is a border adjustment to unite all Magyars, but it will be impossible, also to reduce a political unit of 22 millions to eight millions. The Roumanians will want Transylvania if Russia, takes Bessarabia. Russia also intends taking Northern Bukovina from Roumania, but the popula tion, historically Roumanian-Mol-davian, will be resentful, while the Bessarabians also are overwhelmingly Roumanian in speech and culture. The Allies are likely to restore to Bulgaria the Southern Dobrudju, which Germany during the war gave to Roumania. Incidentally Austria is to -be excluded from a Danubian Federation, and to be independent, so that it may remain poverty-strick-en. Ms capital will hold a third of the six million population, and the countryside is not prosperous, so that the Allies may find it a burden or a source of disturb ance. Bulgaria, lacking a port, and denied any consideration by either Turkey or Greece, may attempt more than ever to extend her zone. If Yugoslavia gets

Macedonia from the Allies, the Bulgars there will become probably very recalcitrant in an endeavour to re-enter Bulgaria. Finland may be defenceless if such of its territories as are sought by Russia are lost, while the incor poration into the U.S.S.R. of the Baltic States would place the. former within, reach of Sweden, and there are thus elements ot instability in this case to be reckoned with. The Russo-Polish border issue it sub judice, hut the eastern third of Poland has been designated by the Soviet for transfer, and East (Prussia and Pomorse as a quid-pro quo for Po land. It remains to be seen if an understanding is reachable, which is doubtful, but it is certain that if Prussians are incorporated in Poland it will mean disruption, for they may be less likely to migrate from a Polish regime than would be the five million Poles in the east to migrate westward Yugoslavia demands Trieste, 1 stria and the littoral thereabouts Marshal Tito is now meeting Mr. Churchill in Italy, and that subject may be dealt with. Trieste and other coastal cities there ar<. Italian in population, while the hinterland is mainly Slovene, and. slightly Croatian. Hence ths likelihood of post-war trouble from a transfer. In the Tyrol the Italian element is dead against the territory being united with Austria as it should he, but may not, if the Italians can convince the Allies it might assist a later' “anschluss.” The Italians will on their part be disappointed at the loss of Tunisia or Libya

There may be a revival of the Al banians’ unrest, if the Greeks get Epirus and if Kossovo is given to Yugoslavia. Alsace-Lorraine, it returned to France, will become a potential volcano. If the Allies were to cut up Germany, it would hasten trouble, rather than preserve peace. The Flemish dis like the Belgians, preferring the Dutch. Indeed it is now evident that the peace conference will have a very hard job of work.