THE PEACE TREATY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue 82, 7 April 1919, Page 5

THE PEACE TREATY

COMPLETION EXPECTED. ON

WEDNESDAY

LONDON, April 5. The Evening standard pays that according to a high authority the peace treaty will be completed on Wedhesday Mr Lloyd George will make statement in the House of Commons before he-'signs it. The Big Four have practically agreed on all the most important questions except responsibiii'y for t the laws of war. The preliminaries will be finally settled in a few days, and it is expected that the Germans will be invited to attend at Versailles wiriiiii a fortnight. ‘ . The' Conference will apparently settle the question of the occupation of the left bank of the Rhine. Probably 200,000 French and Belgians wiH undertake the occupation under the control, of the League of Nations, It is believed that' ■ out of the total Gorman indemnity France will receive bb per cent.

. - DATE OF SIGNING. (Rec. April 7. 10 15 a.m.l LONDON, April 0. Mr Lloyd George, interviewed by the Matin’ stated’ that by the end of April or the beginning of May the Confend!ice 'would be able |o Vnviite the Germans to come and sign -he Peace Treat-v. The repatriation question ‘is complicated, and there is disagreement between the technical ex-' peril regard in, ir the method of 1 pay. merit, and the collectable. There are no differences in the Cohfcrc/ioo, jjlhe (settling those between the experts. <• THE INDEMNITIES'. ’

(Rec. April 7, 9:20 a.m.) LONDON, April 5. According to the newspaper Journal, too first i natal mint of the indemnity will bo twenty-five milliard francs, ot which five milliard? will ho payment for raw material 'necessary for-the- re* sumption of Germany’s economic existence. Franco wall receive ten milliard of the first instalment, and Relidmn five. The remainder of the indemnity will bo spread over thirty-five years, amounting annually to fifteen milliards according to some, and seven milliards according to others.

MORE MODERATE POLICY

(Rec. April 7, 9.20 a.m.) , s LONDON; April 6,

Advices received ;i,n Vienna from Budapest state that General Smuts has begun negotiations for a revision of the armistice terms. The Hungarian Government undergoes reorganisation! on a more moderate Rocialistfo .basis, ■ extremist members resigning.