FARCE OF A FRONTIER.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 14 January 1929, Page 7

FARCE OF A FRONTIER.

CASE OF POT,AND AND- LITHUANIA

An agreemnet was 1 signed by Dithuamia. and Poland o-n November 7 which ■serves -to illustrate the: almost intoler- • I'blo comditiotiis- of life along the. l.irh uan.ian-Polish boundary.

During the pa*st few months there- had be.cn conferences and meetings of committees in. Kovno, Warsaw, Berlin nrod jvonigsberg, all of which had failed to loosen the existing deadlock between'the- two countries. All attempts at am understanding had broken down because Mr Valdema-ras' always refused to. sign any arrangement with Poland so long as Poland signed as mistress of Vilina, his point being that onee. he signed sue-h a-u instrument Dithuamko would imply acee-pta-ncc of Poland ks right to Vilna. On November 3, however, forced by •the increasing distress caused on both sides of the, administrative boundary, Air Valdcmaras and Mr Zaleski- met at Ivonigsberg . and without prejudice to the main controversy signed four dalys later a 1 convention which has- the specific. and limited object of authorising Poles and TJthuamans to cross the, boundary. Thei dividing line in- many instances cuts estates in two, in others separates estates from their owners. Hitherto the- feelings -of animosity on both sides .have prevented any crossing of the line from one side; to- the other. The stupidity of such a: situation; is merely one of the stupidities which still stultify -Baltic relations as a- result of Poland’s annexation of Vilna: in 1920.

The -details of the instrument signed on November 7 sheds a grotesque light on the- condition to which those Baltic countries have -been reduced. It is solemnly provided that persons who live near the dividing line and whose -property is either out into two: or 'separated from them shall be given “passes” enabling them to,cross the I line; that minors under the age. of fourteen shall be allowed to cross without passes, provided they are accompanied by people- carrying passes; -that the passes sha.ll contain the bearer’s name, nige, address, business, the purpose for which ho wants to cross the line, the names of minors who- might accompany him, a' certified photograph, and signature and what not; and- that t-lie bearer of a pass who crosses' the line: shall not transport with him any implements or animals except those carefully listed in the; treaty. The necessity for such ai treaty shows Irow strained and artificial are the conditions still obtaining as a result of what happened in 1920.