Lake Wakatip Mail QUEENSTOWN TUESDAY OCT. 15 1935 THE WORLD AGAINST HER.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 4230, 15 October 1935, Page 4

Lake Wakatip Mail QUEENSTOWN TUESDAY OCT. 15 1935 THE WORLD AGAINST HER.

IP the Abyssinians can be persuaded to adopt guerilla tactics in the fighting against Italy, a protracted struggle, supposing that it is continued, seems inevitable, with a tremendous task facing the invading forces. It is not too muck to say that Italy by her acts has shocked the world. Four treaties bound her to peace. By the Tripartite agreement in 1906, the independence and political integrity o( Abyssinia were guaranteed; the Treaty of Conciliation and Arbitration completed between Italy and Abyssinia in 1928 affirmed the decision to settle all the disputes between the two countries by conciliation without having recourse to armed lorce; the Covenant of the League, of which Italy is a signatory, accepted its obligations not to resort to war and to maintain a scrupulous respect for treaty obligations; the Kellogg-Briand Pact, signed by Italy, renounced war as an Instrument of national policy. Yet in the face of all these solemn obligations Mussolini treats them all with supreme contempt, and though every effort was made to restrain him and liberal concessions were offered him he launched a campaign against the Abyssinians, which has already meant heavy loss of life. The greater part of the civilised world is definitely against him. That is putting it mildly if we may take the proceedings at Geneva as a guide. A League Committee of Six, a Committee of Thirteen, and the Council of the League have unanimously agreed that, in defiance of her commitments under the Covenant, Italy has resorted to war. The complaint is made that the methods of the League arc slow and cumbrous, but they must necessarily be so. seeing that nearly all the responsible nations ol the world are concerned. It is reported that opinion in Italy is shocked at the attitude taken in regard to that country, but it is hard to see how a wanton, wilful aggressor can expect anything else.

The only nation among the Powers of Europe that carries any weight that has not joined in the protest against Italy’s acts is Germany. If Mussolini tried to arrange an alliance with Hitler ho would lose France’s friendship, which has been conspicuous at Geneva. But the French Government is bound to stand by the League, for the protection afforded at Geneva is the greatest hope France has of achieving security. A stumbling block to Italo-German co-oper-ation is Austria. The Nazis want to see that country included in a great German confederation. In elfect, they want to swallow Austria, while Italy is committed to its security and independence. Russia is undersood to have an alliance with France, so that in every direction international complications obtrude themselves. They appear to leave Italy in a state of isolation so far as the Abyssinian question is concerned. Another reason against Germany entering into a partnership with Italy at the moment is that she does not want to alienate the sympathies of Britain; whiclq of all the allied Powers has shown the Fatherland the greatest consideration since the war. By maintaining a friendly attitude with the British Governments the hope is felt that Germany may have some of her lost colonics returned to her, and there is no doubt that a considerable section of opinion in England is in favour of that being done.

In the meantime the League is absorbed in the question ol' applying sanctions of an economic kind, as a first step at any rate, and if these are enforced it is' difficult to see how Italy can continue the campaign for long. Her finances were at a very low ebb before she took the first steps some months ago in the Abyssinian venture by despatching troops to East Africa. She had a very heavy Budget deficit, and some critics even said that she had raised the Ethiopian question to draw fthc attention of the Italian people away from the domestic troubles. The expenditure on arms, munitions, food, medical supplies, and transport must already bo enormous, and the provision of money to finance to continue the war must obviously present the greatest difficulties, it will be remembered that in the Great War the United States supplied huge sums to the Allies, but only on safe guarantee of Britain. Thus it can be imagined that apart from American sentiment against Mussolini’s acts, the financial magnates of New York will not be likely to advance loans to Mussolini because of the obvious risks. Germany lias not the money to lend even if site was willing to do so, and the French bankers have as much as they can do at present to finance their own countrv.

There remains Britain as a possible source of supply, and it can be quite definitely believed that the financial houses in London will be quite linn in refusing Italy money in view of Britain's altitude in this dispute from the beginning. The first steps in sanctions—that, is measured to prevent Italy continuing the campaign would include

the withdrawal ul credit, the restriction of projects tending to assist the conduct of the war and the limitation of exports to Italy. This last-named suggestion has already created alarm in the country, and people are rushing to buy goods for hoarding purposes. Italy’s only hope is a short and decisive campaign. The views of the experts seem to be that there is no chance of this provided the Abyssianians keep their heads and refrain from massed attacks. At the moment Italy is in a deplorable position. She has incurred the contempt of the world, and that would not be removed even if she gained an overwhelming success in her callous acts of aggression.