SPIRIT OF GENOA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18072, 22 April 1922, Page 9

SPIRIT OF GENOA.

—— —■*» ■ HOPE NOT DEAD, LLOYD GEORGE'S OPTIMISM. CONFERENCE STILL LIVES. SUCCESS ANTICIPATED. OVERCOMING TROUBLES. By Telctrti h -Press Issonation—Copyright ± and N.Z GENOA. April 00. "G'xi's in His Heaven, the conference rtfji lives. *r.d is com.; strong." Tliis was Mr. U yd Gforce's optimistic openjjj. to a brief address to 600 of the world's journalist*. " There arc," he idded, " t ,vp sots of people who regard {he conference from two different standjoints. First, those desiring its success, ind, secondly, those desiring its failure, fhp conference is working successfully, th uch it h.is difficulties." Some of the dithi'iiltie>, he learned from the pre*?, were verv serw.is. He sincerely trusted that i! ■ Russo German incident was pv«r, a::d ' )ul 10 receive the RussiaJi reply todiy He would be very surprised if the reply were such as not to iitftlfv the i.-iifiroi! ■(> proceeding. Mr Lloyd George said he believed the conference t» mid he a success and terornate in a scheme that would result jn the leconslruct' nof Europe. The Germans h.i 1 decided to accept the proposition nut ti" l participate in the further dtscu.-sPii ■" the Russian question. He empha.*ised the gravity of their action in rum; behind the backs of their colleagues, but entirely disbelieved that that wtion was wilfully designed to wreck the conierence. alth ugh it might have so requited. W hat would have been said if Britain, France, and Ita.lv had acted jr. a s.nniar manner. Unless the conference prv-luoed a pact of peace it would pr u" a failure. T!.e inform.il conversations which occuned in WaeJiiugiurt and at all the eonfere;. ■>, were defended by Mr. Lloyd j (lecrje They were not merely right i and lur. but eminently desirable ui order to r.e.ir up misunderstanding, and he h ;■'• ; tiicv would always be held at this cr ..r.y ither conference. He looked forward to a considerable portion of the w k if the Genoa Conference being carred "n by the League of Nations. REASON EOR SECRECY. ATTITUDE OF THE SOVIET. "NOT A BRITISH COLONY." A ic<i N Z GENOA, April 20. i Mr Lloyd George stated to-day that 1 despite the Russo-German negotiations, he wa; confident the conference would succeed in producing a real pact of peace. M. TVlntcherin, Soviet Foreign Com-mi.-saiy, and M. Raduvsky. in the course if an interview, declared that the Powers' 1 N< te to Germany was not justified. Til.ttcherin, when a.-ked why Britain and | thi uth-r Powers were not informed of tin- Rus.-o Herman negotiations, replied: " Becsu«e Russia is not a British colony." < ontrary to Signer Pacta's inaugural dei laratiun that the delegates had not as tumbled as victors and vanquished, w-hich the 'hole world, excepting the French Chamber of Deputies accepted and welcomed, the antagonists of the conference were making every effort to convert it into another Versailles Congress, in order to defeat its peaaful purpose. GERMAN OPINION DIVIDED. EFFORTS TO ESCAPE TREATY. THE RUSSIANS ADAMANT. A. and N Z. GENOA. April 00. A high Russian authority today said I that the Germans were strongly divided j concerning the Russo-German treaty, j Some Germans were making serious' efforts to escape from it, but he under- ' 6tood that the Russian delegates were adamant, and would never consent to such a course. It is announced that the Germans' have agreed not to attend the sitting of the Fust Commission, which will discuss, (ha relations of Russia to the rest of j Europe. The British delegation conferred this morning, and afterwards resolved itself Jnto a meeting with the other Ailies, which diseased the situation. No German or Russian replies were received. Informal oonver&atious continued in! the afternoon, when the Little Entente | and Poitugal took part. DURATION OF CONFERENCE. EARLY CLOSE PREDICTED. A and NZ. LONDON. April 20. Later reports from Genoa declare that l ... I th" l be.ief is gaming ground that the con-: ference may soon break up. Colonel j Theunis (Belgium) said to-day: " Wc are all waiting to depart. The Russo-Ger-j man Treatv has welded the Allies again j and created a new bloc" I & me foreign circles in London in close touch With Genoa, interviewed by the Australian and New- Zealand Press Asso j cianon, confirmed the suggestion that the W.T>renoe wih m*i end. I FRENCH OFFICIAL ACTION, j CANCELLATION DEMANDED, i A an,! N Z PARIS. April 20. M l'o:i:oare informed the Cabinet that the F'er.-h Government lad taken steps ■ •r.roirh diplomatic iharinels, in fonjunrtiori mtii ir,p Allied Powers and the !."!'■• Kf-t« •'.!•■. ti, invite Germain to can eel ■'''■ fc-nv vdtii Russia. .