COMPLETE AUTONOMY TO BE GIVEN TO POLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15689, 17 August 1914, Page 5

COMPLETE AUTONOMY TO BE GIVEN TO POLAND.

RUSSIA'S INTENTION ANNOUNCED IN PROCLAMATION

LIBERTY IN RELIGION AND LANGUAGE PROMISED.

(Received August 16, 5.5 p.m )

Pakip, August 15.

A telegram from St. Petersburg states that a proclamation has been issued announcing that it is intended to restore to Poland her integrity, with complete autonomy, religious liberty and the official use of the Polish language.

A message from Berlin states that a document signed by the Tsar is king distributed to Russian Poles, promising Poland Home Rule after the war.

Russian Poland has .m area of 49,018 square miles and a population of 12,776,100. It contains the first line of defence of the Russian Empire on its western frontier. Tlio marshy lowland?, covered with forests 0:1 the western bank of the Vistula, are a natural defence against an army advancing from thfl west, and they are strengthened by the fortresses on the river. The centre of these latter is Warsaw, with Novogeorgievsk, in the north, at the mouth of the Bug. and Ivangorod, in the south, at the mouth of the Wieprz. Novogeorgievsk is a strongly fortified camp, which requires a garrison of 12.000 men and may shelter an army of 50.000. The entire administration of Poland is under the Governor-General residing at Warsaw. Ho is at the same time the commander of the military forces of the " Warsaw military district. - ' Alter the insurrection of 1863 all towns in Poland with less than 2000 inhabitants were deprived of their municipal rights, and subsequent legislation reduced the functions of the municipal council of the larger towns almost to nothing. Hitherto, in all official communications the Russian language has been obligatory, and a gradual elimination of Poles from the administration has been effected. Measures have also been taken to reduce the numbers of the Roman Catholic clergy in Poland, Roman Catholicism being the prevalent religion of the country.