AUSTRIAN TREATY

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 3 June 1919, Page 5

AUSTRIAN TREATY

SUMMARY OF THE TERMS

SAME OUTLINE AS GERMAN

TREATY

A GREATLY REDUCED NATION

LONDON, June 2. j The conditions of the peace of the Allied and associated Powers, with the "exception of the military reparations, • ■financial and certain boundary, clauses, ; "were 'handed to the Austrian plenipotentiaries 'at fit. Germain on June 1. \ Those clauses, which are not yet ready for presentation, will be delivered as ■soon as possible, the Au'strians in the meantime having the opportunity to [ 'begin work on the greater part of the : treaty, in an effort to facilitate the ' final decision. j The Austrian treaty follows exactly the same outline as the German, and in many places is identical with it, except for the change in name. Certain specific clauses wfcich applied only to Germany are, of course, omitted, and •certain new clauses of particular applicability to Austria are included, especially as regards the new States created out of the former AustroHungaidan Empire. ■ N

Austria is left by this treaty a State of about 6,000,000 people, inhabiting a, territory of between 50,000 and 60,000 square miles. Austria recognises the complete independence of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the Serbo-Croat-Slovene ■ State, and cedes other territories which previously were in union with her and composed the empire of Aus-tria-Hungary. Austria agree® to accept the League •of Nations covenant and the labor 'Charter, and to renounce all <her extraEuropean rights; to demobilise her whole naval and aerial forces; to advmit the right by trial by the Allied ■ and associated Powers of her nationals .guilty of violation of the laws and customs qf war, and to accept the detailed provisions similar to those in the German treaty as to the economic 'relations and freedom of transit.

In the following summary, Part I, ' ' containing the covenant of the League l ■of Nations, and Part 12, containing ' the Labor' Convention, are identical with those in the German treaty, and ; are therefore omittea. Part 6, 'deal- '; ling -with prisoners of war and graves, ! and Part 10, dealing with aerial navigation, are identical, -with the substi- j tution of Austria and Austrian for : Germany and German, and are also ' omitted. Part 13 of the German : ■ treaty } containing guarantees for execution, is not included in the Austrim J

treaty. ' Part ll.—The. Frontiers of Austria | The northern frontier, facing Tche- ' cho-Slovakia, follows existing ad- i ministrative 'boundaries formerly »ep-' arating the provinces of Bohemia and ' Moravia from those of Upper and Lower Austria, -subject to certain, minor rectifications, notably in the re: gion of Oouid and Feldsberg and along j the river Moravia. The southern j frontier, facing Italy and the) Serbo- ! Croat-Slovene State, is to be fixed by : the principal Allied and associated' Powers at a later date. ■ !

In the eastern part the line passing .just east of Blieberg crosses the Drave just below its confluence with the Lavani^ and whence will pass north •of the Drave so as to leave the Serbo-vJroat-Slovene State JVlarburg and Radkersburg, just, to the north of which latter place it will join, the Hungarian frontier. The western and north-western frontiers, facing Bavaria, the western frontier facing Switzerland, and the eastern frontier facing Hungary, remain unchanged.

Part lll.—Political Clauses. The high contracting parties recognise and accept the frontiers of Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Roumania, the Serbo-Croat-Slovene State, and the Tchecho-Slovak State a6 at present or as ultimately determined. Austria renounces in favor of the principal Allied and associated Powers all her rights and titles over territories formerly belonging to her which, though outside the new frontiers of Austria, have not at present been assigned to any State, undertaking to accept the settlement to he made in

regard to these territories

* Austria recognises the complete inpendence of the Tchecho-Slovak State, | including the autonomous territory' south of the Carpathians, in conform- i ity with the action already taken hy the Allied and associated Powers. The exact boundary between Austria and the new State is to he fixed hy a field commission of seven members, "five nominated by the principal Allied and associated Power.-; and one each hy Austria and I'checho-Slovakia. Tchecho-Slovakia agrees to embody in. a treaty with the principal Allied and associated Powers such provisions as may be deemed necessary to protect racial, religious or linguistic minorities, and to fissure freedom of transit and equitable treatment for the commerce of other nations. Austria similarly recognises the independence of the Serbo-Croat-Slovene State, and renounces her rights and titles. A similarly appointed field commission, including a- member nominated by the Serbo-Croat-Slovene State, is to fix the exact boundary. The question of the basin of Klagenfurt is 'reserved. The Serbo-Croat-Slovene State agrees to a similar treaty for the protection of minorities and tihe freedom of transit. Roumania agrees to a similar treaty for the protection of minorities and freedom of transit.

Austria is to recogn.se and respect. the full independence of all tike territories -which formed part of the fori mer Russian Empire. She is to aci cept definitely the annulment of the Br^st Litovsk treaty, and of all other | treaties or agreements of all kinds j concluded since the revolution of No-! [ rember, 1917, Avith rail governments orj : politieail groups on territory of thej former Russian Ennp:re. The Allies1 reserve all rights on the part of Rus-i sia for restitution and satisfaction to be obtained from Austria on i(he principles of the present treaty. ' Austria is to consent to the abrogation of the treaties of 1839, by which Belgium was established as a neutral State and her frontiers fixed, and to accept in advance any convention with which the Allies may determine to replace them. Austria adheres to the abrogation of the neutrality of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg and accepts in advance all international agreements a<s to it reached by the Allied and associated Powers. Au«-( trian nationals belonging to racial, re--

ligious or linguistic minorities are to enjoy the .same protection as other Austrian nationals, in particular with regard to schools and other educational establishments, and in districts where a considerable proportion of Austrian nationals of other than German speech are resident facilities are to foe given in schools for th c instruction of children in their own language, and an equitable share of public funds is to be provided for the purpose. ■ These provisions do not preclude the Austrian Government from making the teaching of German obligatory. . They are to be embodied by Austria 'in her fundamental law aa a bill of rights, and provisions regarding them are to be under the protection of the League of Nations. "

J Part IV.—Austrian Rigfts Outside i Europe. j Outside Europe Austria renounces ! all rights, titles, and privileges as to her own or her allies' territories to all the Allied and associated Powers, ; and undertakes' to accept whatever I measures are taken by the principal 1 Allied Powers in relation thereto. Austria accepts all arrangements which ', the Allied and associated Powers i make with Turkey and Bulgaria with reference to any rights, privileges or interests claimed in those countries by j Austria or her nationals, and not I dealt with elsewhere. Austria accepts] ! all arrangement which the Allied and j associated Powers mako with Germany ' concerning the territories whose abandonment was imposed upon Denmark !■ by the treaty of 1534.

In a series of special clauses Austria undertakes to bring her institutions into conformity with the principles of liberty and justice, and acknowledges that the obligations for the protection of minorities are matters of international concern over which the League of Nations has jurisdiction. She as- 1 sures complete protection of life and i liberty to all inhabitants of Austria without distinction of birth, nationality, language, race, or religion, together with the right to free exercise of any creed. All Austrian nationals, without distinction of race, language, or religion, are to be equal before the law. No restrictions are to be imposed on the free use of any language in private or public, and reasonable facilities are to be given to Austrian nationals of non-German speech, for the use of their language before the courts. The clauses as to Egypt, Morocco, | China, and Siam are identical, after f the necessary modifications, with those jof the German treaty, except that, ■ especially in the case of China, there j is not need for so great detail. j I Part V. —Military, Naval, and Air ! Clauses. j The military clauses are reserved. j All Austro-Hungarian warships, sub- ! marines, and vessels of the Danube ] flotilla are declared to be finally sur- j j rendered to the principal Allied and \ j associated Powers. Twenty-one speci- ; 1 fied auxiliary cruisers are to be disarmed and treated as merchant ships. All warships and submarines tinder i construction in ports which belong or j have belonged to Austria-Hungary j shall be broken up, the salvage not to j be used except for industrial purposes, and not to be sold to foreign countries. The construction or acquisition of any submarines, even for commerI cial purposes, is forbidden. All naval * arms, ammunition, and other war maI terial belonging to Austria-Hungary at the date of the armistice shall be surrendered to the Allies. The Austrian wireless station at Vienna is not to be used for naval, military, or political

messages relating to Austria or her

late allies without the assent of the Allied and associated Governments during three months, but only for commercial purposes under super- j vision. During the same period Aus-j tria is not to build any more highpower wireless stations. The air clauses are practically the same as in the German treaty, except for the 100 seaplanes and their personnel, which Germany is allowed to retain till October to search for mines. General: j Austria agrees not to accredit or send | any military, naval, or air mission to j any foreign country, nor to allow AusI trian nationals to enlist in the army, i navy, or air service of any foreign j Power.

Parts VII., VIII., and IX. ! Penalties—This is identical with the | German treaty, except the omission of I any provision similar to that calling j for the trial of the ex-Kaiser of Ger- ! many. Part VIII., on reparations, is re-1 served. Part IX., Financial Claims—These are also reserved. j Part X.—Economic Clauses. I These are 3 except In certain details } such as shipping, similar to those of I the German treaty. Special provisions ' are added, however, for former Aus--1 tro-Hungarian nationals acquiring an ' Allied nationality, similar to those in

the .German treaty relating to AlsaceLorraine. The contracts arc maintained, subject to cancellation by the governments. Austria undertakes to recognise any agreement or convention made by the Allies to safeguard the interests of their nationals in any undertakings constituted under Aus-tro-Hungarian law which operate in territories detached from the former Austrian Empire, and to transfer any 1 necessary documents and information in regard to them. j Part Xl.—Safeguarding Freedom of 1 Transit. j The clauses as to freedom of transit are the same in the Austrian as in the German treaty, except for the omission of provisions affecting Germany alone and the insertion of specific clauses granting Austria transit privileges through former Austro-Hun-garian territory, in order to assure her access to the Adriatic. Part XLV. —Miscellaneous Provisions. These are, after necessary substituf tions, virtually identical with those of the German treaty. j The treaty is to come into force ' when signed by Austria and three j principal Powers, and to be effective ! for the individual States on the deposit of their specific ratifications.