BALANCE OF TOWER

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 27 September 1926, Page 5

BALANCE OF TOWER

EUROPE’S NEW GROUPING. THE EFFECT ON ITALY TF GERMANY ANNEXED AUSTRIA. BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. LONDON, Sept. 25. The Daily Telegraph’s Rome correspondent states: “According to an important personage. a treaty between Italy and Britain for mutual support on all questions concerning the Mediterranean and, general European policy will be suggested to Sir Austen \ Chamberlain at, a meeting with Signor Mussolini, which the Italian press regard as certain to be held very shortly. Signor Mussolini is stated to be influenced mainly by the prospect- of an effective understanding between Germany and France. According to my informant. Italy would be bound to take into account the attitude of France towards Austria’s annexation by Germany, which the treatv of Versailles forbids, but which is already assumed to be possible in Rome. “Such annexation would mean ’ for France only an addition of 7.000,000 or 8,000,000 to Germany’s copulation, but to Ttalv it would mean that whereas she has 7.000.000 Austrians as neighbours there would henceforth be a population of 72.000.000 Germans over her frontier, and Germany’s frontier would bo removed from Bavaria- to Brenner. Thus, in place of n; weak Austria, Italy would look across the frontier upon’ the mieht of Germany. Previously* Italv had taken for granted the siippo v t of France as well as of Poland'and Czecho-Slovakia- in her veto against annexation, l>ased' upon solemn treatv obligations, but if a new Fra neo-German understanding is achieved one of the pillars of Italian policy will have been undermined. The informant added that -it w-as otily natural, in that event, that- Italy would consider the possibility of a new grouping.”