THE VILNA QUARREL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17957, 6 December 1921, Page 7

THE VILNA QUARREL.

POLAND AND LITHUANIA. DISQUIETING DEVELOPMENTS. IMPOTENCE O.F THE LEAGUE. f?y Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. Renter. LONDON, Dec. 4. The long standing sore between Poland and Lithuania regarding the possession of Vilna is again assuming an ugly appearance, The Polish general, Zeligowski, who seized Vilna, is resigning, but the change is merely nominal. The Poles are determined to hold an election for a Constituent Assembly, which the Lithuanians violently resent. The question of the disposal of Vilna is still under consideration by the League of Nations, and the country is under military terrorism. Zeligowski is surrendering supreme power in Central Lithuania to Meyslsowieg, ail ex-member of the Petrograd Council of State.

The story of the Polish-Lithuanian dispute regarding Vilna is a confused ontf. The salient facts- are as follows. On October 8, 1920, the Poles and Lithuanians themselves agreed, at Suvalki, to a demarcation line, which left Vilna under Lithuanian control. The agreement was signed in the presence of representatives of the League of Nations. Shortly afterwards, however, General Zeligowski occupied Vilna, and his Polish rebels are still in occupation. That is the fount of the who'e trouble. The subsequent diplomacy of the League of Nations if on record. On October 14, 1920, M. Leon Bourgeois, on behalf of the Council of the league, wrote to M. Paderewski, the Pop"' l delegate to the League:—"The occupation of Vi'na is a violation of the engagements accepted vis-a-vis the Council of the League of "Nations, and ft is impossible for the latter not to demand of the Polish Government what immediate measures it propores to take in order to assure respect for the&9 engagements." A litt'e later M. Hvmans, then Acting-President of the League Council, endorsed M. Bourgeois' protest. "We fee] bound," he said, " to renew here this protest against the employment of force." At a Council meeting, held in Paris, however, from February 21 to March 4, 1921, the League somewhat changed its ground. It invited the Polish Government to incorporate the Zeligowski troops into the regular Polish army, although reduced in numbers. This, 'in spite of the fact that Poland, an original member of the League, continued to disregard the categoric demands made by the League four/months before. The next phase in the dispute was reached when the Poles and Lithuanians were invited to meet in direct conference under the chairmanship of M. Hvmans to attempt a settlement. Several such conferences failed. In a subsequent report presented to the Council of the League (June, 1921) M. Hymans expressed the opinion that " the' principal obstacle (to a settlement)—and too ihuch emphasis cannot be laid on this point—is the occupation of the Vilna territory by the troops of General Zeligowski." During the Brussels Conference of Anril 20 to June 3, 1921,. M. Hynians himself drow up ex cathedra ft draft scheme as a basis of discussion. The central features of it were as follows:--(1) The Vilna region would not be an nexed to Lithuania, but would form part of a Lithuanian Federal State composed of two autonomous cantons (TCovno and Vilna), in which the Polish and Lithuanian laiyunses would both be recognised official. (2) 'There would be a Joint Council 'for foreign affairs between Poland and Lithuania Tha Lithuanian delegation accepted the scheme as a basis of discussion only The Polish delegation made a condition of acceptance that a deputation front Vilna itself should take part in the discussion on an equal footing. Vilna being being in the occupation of Polish troops and being the chief bone of contention, M. Hvmans naturally refused such a condition and a deadlock ensued.