PRO-GERMAN PEACE CONFERENCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLII, Issue 1012, 14 November 1917, Page 5

PRO-GERMAN PEACE CONFERENCE.

THE LIGHT THAT AGAIN FAILED. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. I Received November 14, 9.10 a.m. BERNE, Nov. 13. The Pacifist Conference, convened by llerr Matthias Erzebergcr, leader of the Roman Catholic Centro Party in the German Reichstag, has begun with secret, sittings. The delegates include Herr Dernburg, Count Karolyi and a number of German Catholic Bishops. It is noteworthy that no Allied delegates arc pro--1 sold," the confercneo' bcing' wholly confined to Austro-Germans, Turco-Bulgars, and pro-German Swiss. —— I I fin his “Men Who Count in Hun Land Who’s Who in the Crisis,” Mr Frederic!:! ■ William Wile, late''Berlin correspondent; of the London Daily Mail, says: Herr Mathias Erzebergcr,. Roman Catholic Ccn>- . tro Party'deputy, long-time stormy petted of German politics, 41 years old,' Wurttemberger, journalist, flamboyant orator and writer; incessantly used during 14 years | as a . Government wire-puller among the | Empire’s 25,000,000 Roman Catholics. During the war he lias been on various underground -missions to Vienna and Switzerland, and active as an intriguer with the Vatican. Flattered when called “the Ger-/ man Winston Churchill,” he talks with a' South German brogue, and poses us an authority upon “international politics” because lie was once delegate to the Arbitration Congress in Zurich. He .recently announced that Germany had changed from an autocracy into a democracy, but proofs of the change are still lacking. He has acted the part of a “stool pigeon” in bringing about this Conference, which was convened by Swiss Roman Catholics with proGerman sympathies, and was originally opened on October 15, when 65 Austro-Ger-nians, including Erzebergcr, three Italians, one Russian and one unnamed “Britisher” attended. The failure of the movement 1 from the international standpoint was so marked that the conference adjourned till November 12.]

THOSE PEACE PROPOSALS. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. , LONDON, Nov. 12. ! In the House of Commons, Mr Balfour. I replying to a question, said the Government i was unaware that Germany had made any j peace proposals to France. He pointed; out that Germany denied having made any ' proposals. j | , ■.