NEARING CONCLUSION.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 15 May 1922, Page 5

NEARING CONCLUSION.

DOUBTFUL ULTIMATUM FROM FRANCE BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION-COPYRIGHT LONDON, May 13. Mr J. L. Garvin (.editor of the Ub sserver), writing from Genoa, says: "The official decision was expected borne --days ago, but was postponed by siiui'_fling for a few days more. Tne coniference will be over next week —it may finish sooner —in quiet agreement on Thursday in an open sitting with utterdances which will resound through .Europe. "M. Barthou has returned from Paris • with a doubtful ultimatum from M. .Poincare framed to shatter the confer- <■ ence. M. • Poincare has practically is- .: sued orders to the conference, to thirty .nations in general and to Mr Lloyd < George in particular. At first M. Barthou was instructed to support Beli; giunx unconditionally on the pedantic - and useless property ciause, framed re- ,. gardless of tne practical interest of British commerce, the empolyment of which .: few of our neighbours understand and ■i fewer still consider a reason, as Brus- .-; sels in this matter - was the willing .: mouthpiece of Paris itself. The second ultimatum was woiso. His Majesty -- would not meet Mr Lloyd George and : the other signatories to the Treaty of Versailles to discuss, before May 31, \\*hat will happen thereafter- in the cx- ._' pected .case of German default. "Never in the record of modern ententes and alliances had the Premier of • one country been treated with moreperemptory disregard by the Premier of . another. Mr Lloyd George, t© secure :• the attendance of the French delegation at Genoa and to keep it there. ;.made concession after concession, and he consented to the exclusion of forbid- < den subjects from the formal proceedings, though reparation and disarmament revision were bound to be vital : matters for debate at all private meet- : ings. By this cumulative and persis- • ,tent course of dictation, M. Poincare, -'•of his own initiative, killed the Entente. Mr Lloyd George spoke to M. Barthou and the other French repre- :; sentatives,but it is an egregious and futile falsehood to say he threatened that Britain would not only dissolvo • the Entente, but seek anti-French iconliection with other Powers. What Mr Lloyd George said was that M. Poin•"Care showed not the remotest knowledge of the British nation and acted regardless of the honour and strength of Britain, or those interests, the com- : merce, livlihood and existence of which -concerns its masses and classes alike. Mr Lloyd George said that heneeiorth '. Britain would be with any Power for peace and with no Power against it." PARIS, May 14. King George declined on constitutional grounds M. Millerand's proposal ~*to meet during his tour of the battle- ■ fields. The King explained that a meet- " ing between the two heads of the States "during the Genoa differences would assume a political aspect, which it was --desirable to avoid. The Sunday Times' Paris corresoond--ent expresses the nope that the King's arefusaf will terminate the persistent --©Sorts made by the French Press to -present the Kins: as opposed to the -policy of his Ministers.