TERMS OF PEACE TREATY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17151, 3 May 1919, Page 9

TERMS OF PEACE TREATY.

KIEL CANAL FREE TO ALL.

ECONOMIC PROVISIONS.

DISSOLUTION OF CONTRACTS. (Rccoived 5.25 p.m.) United Service. PARIS, May 2.

The Peace Treaty to be presented; to the Germans, says Mr. Keith Murdoch, will provide that all Government property in former German territories shall pass to the new Governments exercising authority therein. The decisions of local courts will be final Tho now Governments may repatriate resident Germans and formulate conditions under which Germans may reside, hold property, trade or work in former colonies. The Kiel Canal will be placed on a footing similar to the Panama Canal. Its approaches will be maintained free and open to vessels of commerce or war of all nations at peace with Germany, on terms of entire equality. The treaty will provide for tho appointment by

each country of a sub-commission, on which Germany will be represented, to control her return of prisoners, Germany undertaking the cost of repatriation. She also will undertake to accept all repatriated prisoners, but allied cuuntries may sond interned Germans or prisoners to a neutral country or permit them I to remain in allied territories. Ger-'

many ia to undertake to facilitate inquiries for missing soldiers, re- ( store property taken from them, fur- i nish a list of dead prisoners and their graves, and maintain sucb graves. The general effect of the economic clauses in the treaty will be to give the Allies most favoured nation treatment for five years. Another provision will be that allied and associated Governments preserve the right to retain and liquidate all property, rights and interests of German nationals or companies controlled by them in their territories. Compensation will be given according to local laws. Contracts with enemies shall be regarded as dissolved from the date of war, except in respect to money owing on patents and copyrights. Rights in industrial, literary, and artistic property are restored both in allied countries and in Germany, but action taken in allied countries during the war with respect to patents and copyrights is upheld and will remain in force.

BRITAIN'S INFLUENCE.

GERMANY'S GREAT DEBT. «A. »nd N.Z. PARIS, May L | The British delegates played a more prominent part in the work of! ! the conference than appears on the. surface. The Labour Convention in , the treaty is solely a British achieve- j ment. The British can claim a great, ' share in framing the League Coven- 1 ant, and to this Sir Eric Druramond's ' appointment as secretary-general is. i believed to be due. j j The air terms are almost entirely the work of the British, and, although the French naturally exercised a preponderating influence in i fixing the military terms, it was Mr. | 1 Lloyd George's insistence that secured the abolition of conscription | in Germany. The British also insisted on the punishment of the exI Kaiser. , j Nothing can yet le said about reparation, but when the treaty is pub- . : lished it will certainly be found that particular losses, juch as those by . the submarine campaign, will reI ceive full compensation. Under the , ( treaty Germany will lose 70 per cent. i of her iron ore, one-third of her coal, | . 20 per cent, of her potash, and be- 1 i tween seven and eight millions of . her population. I l' The Allies have guaranteed Belgium £100,000,000 out of the first s German payment, and have relieved .' Belgium of the repayment of allied i 1 loans. . I It is expected that the Peace , i Treaty will be handed to the news- > I papers on Saturday.