The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutain, Alton, Hurleyvill, Pates, Waverley. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1919. THE FIUME DEADLOCK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 7 November 1919, Page 4

The Star. Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Normanby, Okaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Awatuna, Opunake, Otakeho, Manutain, Alton, Hurleyvill, Pates, Waverley. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1919. THE FIUME DEADLOCK.

It appears as if the Frftme situation has reached a state 'of deadlock, but there are so many unseen agencies at work in Europe, and the Peace Conference is still discussing several of the unsettled questions of which no doubt Fiume is one, that one cannot judge the position accurately. Hardly any news has been received of D'Annunzio's activities recently, and it may be that the impetuous poet has , been brought to a more reasonable frame of mind through pressure from the Italian Government and the Allies, but the problem of finally settling the disposal of the littoral of the Eastern Adriatic has still to be satisfactorily solved. When the , Allies went into the war they were fully convinced that the future peace of Europe tvould depend upon the recognition of the rights of the small nationalities, and in the Treaty they endeavored to rearrange the boundaries to give full effect to their belief. Such a redrawing of the map, however, contains many difficult questions, and few are more difficult than the adjusting of the line to separate the Italians from the Jugo-Slavs. Each of these nations has laid claim to certain territory—the Jugo-Slavs on the grounds of nationality, and the Italians because they hold that they are entitled to hold such a position as will give them full security in the years to come. And the tragedy of the whole matter lies in the fact that both are right. Yet the fulfilment of the aspirations of either will almost certainly lead to an armed conflict. A strong Jugo-Slavia means a much more powerful nation thin that represented by the Kingdom of Serbia before the war, but without such a barrier the possibilities of a revival of the German Mittel Europa scheme ; may be less remote than at present seems to be the case. The Allies have every desire to be fair to the Jugo-Slavs, who so worthily gave of their best in the cause of justice and freedom, but they afe equally in duty bound to prgperly recognise the claims of Italy, who also poured out her strength in the great struggle. Had the past not produced much distrust between the two races it is probable that a satisfactory arrangement could have been made, but neither- side has shown a desire to take a reasonable view of the matter, the Pact of London, promising certain areas to Italy, has helped to make the position more difficult. To settle the future of Fiume in such a way as to provide a casus belli for one or other side is unthinkable, and it seems that the only way out is to make the areas in dispute neutral and to place them under control of the League of Nations. Probably had the Treaty been ratified as early as it might have been had the Republicans in the United States Senate not thought it their duty to delay the ratification, it is quite likely that tho deadlock at Fiume would not have arisen, for the would have had power to' suppress- undesirable ambitions- by the more aggressive sections of the .nations concerned. It is hoped that the near future vfill find a satisfactory solution of the; difficulty, and that the Italians and JugoSlavs will %c able to live in a more a amicable manner than during the last decade or two.