LEAGUE'S FIRST CRISIS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18495, 4 September 1923, Page 7

LEAGUE'S FIRST CRISIS.

CHALLENGE FROM ITALY. RIGHT TO INTERVENE DISPUTED. STATUS OF GREECE IMPUGNED. ■i " ATHENS GOVERNMENT NOT RECOGNISED.

The occupation of the Greek isiland of Corfu by. Italian forces'.-had brought the League of Nations face to face with its first real crisis. Greece has appealed to the League and has invoked Articles 12 and 15 of the Covenant, which provide for submission of disputes between members likely to lead to a rupture to arbitration or inquiry by th© Council of the League. .:•"., . The Marquis Curzon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has returned to London from France. In an interview he stated that i\; was impossible at present to fcrmulate a definite scheme of policy regarding the crisis. The preliminary step must be taken by : the League.. ',:-■: ; . -7 -w '.•'-•/'■■'"• : 7:."'::-.- ; - ' '.<r ::£>. '.v^''-;-: : No official statement of Italy's standpoint has yet been - issued, but official Italian circles in London declare that the League of Nations is not entitled to intervene in a question of Italy's honour or prestige. The Rome newspaper, Messagero, also declares that the v Gonataa Government in Greece, which came into power after the execution of Greek Ministers last year, has not been recognised by any of the Great Powers and therefore is not entitled to appeal to the League of Nations. ... . .■..-... ■ '..'::'■,-■■ The Italians have occupied two smaller islands adjacent to Corfu. Strict measures are being taken in Greece against anti-Italian outbreaks. The Greek Government has proposed to the Ambassador?* Conference, which, as successor of the Supreme Council, controls the execution of the peace treaties, including: the delimitation of frontiers, that :the massacre of the Italian Mission should be the subject of an international inquiry, Greece agreeing to pay whatever reparation the conference deems just. ,

RESTRAINT SN GREECE public ANGER CHECKED. OFFER TO THE POWERS. .INTERNATIONAL INQUIRE : ,'' AWARD TO BE ACCEPTED. ' .■■:. Australian and N.Z. /'Cable''' Association*■■''.'''/ ' JEleceived 9.5 p.m.) ; ; . ' LONDON. Sept. % 1 n Replying to the Ambassadors' /Confew ' ence regarding the massacre of the Italian ■■■: frontier delimitation mission, Greece urge a ; the ■ appointment of / an J international / inquiry which would be better than a Greek : inquiry, vwhich could hot' extend r beyond ; the ; Greek frontier. /A Greece )is ,/-willing ' -;to; pay: whatever /reparation' the Ambasaa-i / ; dors'' Conference considers.: just. "• . r ' The Athens correspondent of/the; ; Lpn-< { don Times; reports thai, the local-news- , papers : appeared in,; mourning for v th/ .: Corfu victims. /Theatres arid v cinemas ', were closed, "arid/ memorial • services were - held at all the churches. '" / ; ■ ' '" * The '■ strictest measures are,. being taken. /.against anti-Italian outbreaks in view of j /; the . presence 'of 200,000 Italians in Greece.: ■■ I Newspapers are /forbidden to publish ; in- ' ; .flammatory matter. . " • , .i 1 v.,/ ' //-■■lt;, is /iannounced in I> Athens ihai the 1 '^V - Italian Legation suddenly^ recalled " Colonel' •'/"? Perone, the Italian/: miUtaryVattochesent;//; 1 : to Janipai to inquire into the massacre * of;/;: . the Italian mission. . ' I . All .Greek shipping, companies have susI pended sailings . to,. Italy, ; but Greece ■is -still permitting Italian ships to call at Greek ports. The Government provided i a detachment, 30 men .to " guard the ; Italian < Legation :at Athens. ;.- /r-)/' ? ; ;.: ;-a It is semi-officially ? stated in Rome } that .'•'-.■:>■;■ | the population of Crete demonstrated a.i ; the Italian consulate, = the personnel of ) which were endangered. 5 ..'' It : is alleged ; - that the Italian flag was insulted. BRITAIN'S ATTITUDE. FIRST STEP WITH LEAGUE. LORD CUEZON RETURNS. i. 'Australian and N.Z. Catfe Association. (Reed." 10.5 p.m.) ' LONDON. Sept. S. The Marquis Curzon ■ has returned- to London. Interviewed, he said that it was:'--.:'.. . impossible at 'present "to formulate' i"a definite scheme of/ policy regarding V the? *• I Italo-Greek crisis. The League 'had the ..■■/•■■.';' matter in hand, and it seemed to- : him that that was the - inevitable preliminary ' step that - must be taken. Everybody's effort; should 'be devoted to strengthening the hands of the' League. ; . < . / Mr. L. C. M. S. Amery, First Lord of the Admiralty, who is at present on hi* way to Malta, is believed to have con- ' / ferred with Mr. Baldwin at Aixles Bains, WAR DRUMS BEATING. LABOUR M.P.'S ALARM. ALL' £UEOP E INVOLVED. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. • (Kecd. 5.9 p.m.). . LONDON. S«pt. •. tMr. J. H. Thomas,, Labour M.P., eventing at a meeting of railwaymeniat Pi mouth, said that there was. a crisis in r Europe. The/ war ; drums were /already beating Before there could be an investi'gation into the murder of; :; Italian officials \ the head of the Fascist Government/issued / . :an ultimatum which it was almost impossible for Greece to accept,' and hurled it in" truck a way that Greece ; had r immediately > to; reject it or humiliate . herself.. Then warships started operations. ;;/ 4 ! If war. took place it would '/opt be, between Greece-and Italy alone, but all Europe would be involved. Was the Leagiw •'•: of Nations to be outside the pale of con- : sideration in this matter? The situation , of Germany was also desperate. t , •' ITALIAN ACTIVITY. '. TWO MORE ISLANDS SEIZES* i GREEK SHIPS RELEASED,^ A. aud N.Z. ROME. Sepfc. & . Italian troops occupied the small islands / { Paxos and Antipaxos. This is regarded , > here simply ,as the ' completion of .-;tl»*' '. ' 'Italian action in (porfo. '' '• ■ <■ The Ministry for Marine has ordered all Greek; ships to: be ;ailow^^M<^W ! Italian' ports without hiridxancft,. • S(^M

CHALLENGE 10 HAGUE. ITALY'S ACT OF WAR. : CRUCIAL TEST OF COVENANT. BRITISH LEAD AWAITED. | THE DECIDING; FACTORJ • By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright, i (Received 6.5 p.m.) r IA. and N.Z. ; LONDON. ;. Sept. 3. I The Greek Government has protested to ! 'the League of Nations and to the./Arch-v i bishop of Canterbury against the > killing ■ 'pi civilians by the Italians at Corfu.<x , i The Italian Minister at Athens informed the Greek Government that Italy refines ■ to accept the decision of the League of Nations.- : - ' '■~.-,--•'■ "'.*.' -, The Home Messagero,. critising Britain : for supporting Greece's/ action in Bending' % : the dispute to the League, says M.: G6na-i tas, ; head -of the Greek Government, ■ has ',:, not !; been recognised by any of the GreatPowers. He; therefore is ; not j entitled/to:; apply, the League. The newspaper adds > if the murders of a mission are regarded U as an entree to the League, then .its' '■. morale will be irreparably damaged. l:t:. Official Italian circles in London declare that, the League of Nations is .not entitled to intervene in a question of ; Jtaly's,. honour or prestige. Furthermore, there is .no question of Corfu- '■':■ being -.neutral:; since the 'Allies used the 'island in V v the . Great War. , , • ' ~'.-■* » ■-.. Britain's Difficult Position. ••> * 4 / Tho correspondent of the Morning'PPot'"s t'" at Geneva, where the 1 Assembly of the League of Nations meets to-day> telegraphs that directly the Greek protest -against! the Italian occupation of Corfu was; received, delegates f recognised 1 that the League was facing its first 'really: important crisis, and: the whole future depends' upon the action : ; how '• taken. '■: ; It =is ' freely » asserted that Italy has ; directly 'challenged v the authority of the League by;occupying!; Corfu, and has committed an act of war;; in fact, she .has .declared war against '51; ; ' States in the League, and automatically set' in '■ motion the machinery of Article ; 16. /:. Feeling hardened when ;it became known that the killed included Greek and Armenian refugees / from Anatolia. : j J, . The Morning Post adds that the position is -obscure. It is difficult. to believej; that Britain will consent to .' sever , economic v relations with Italy/or turn an / ally into a deadly enemy. If Britain refuses 'to participate, the League ; .• will • brandish its thunderbolt in vain.// Lord "Robert Cecil, interviewed . after the meeting of the League Council • on : Saturday, ' expressed the opinion that there ; was no doubt about the competency of the . Council in the present "situation. Greece was perfectly right in invoking Articles 12 and 15 of the League Covenant "A cer- i tain European Prime Minister," said Lord ■ Robert, "recently oaid, that the Treaty of % Versailles was a new chapter for Europe, j. Therefore we cannot refuse it in '/. this .;,-, i case" Lord Robert commented; rather"V strongly against the .: bombardment '■£:■■ of jf [Corfu, adding: "The League of Nations |i must and will do Its duty. Legal experts : will to-morrow'examine the interpretations which can be;placed upon the articles invoked by Greece." ; -~ . Lord Robert Cecil has convoked a meeting of the British Empire ; delegation ; for to-uight. ~ , ■• ' ' j| League's Lack of Power. . , \ I' Mr. Garvin, in 'the Observer, says the / decision lies in Rome, and nowhere else. It does not, and will not, lie in Geneva. There is as yet no :■ true ; League of ' Nations. There is only a system - devoid ;i of full moral sanction, and therefore of; ;; all effectual authority. . \ Half a League, which does; not include / the United States, Russia, or Germany, / is not only practically but' spiritually impotent for all larger purposes. concerning; : i the preservation of general peace; Tho : next step lies with Signer Mussolini. Our / hope was that be would >raise'' ltaly to a .j pinnacle ' Our fear now is that he, may ] dash her to the ground. :.. '-'•';'-i ; : ; , Well-informed circles in Paris believe ] the adjournment of the. decision of the League of Nations Council ou the Greek, appeal till Tuesday is due to a doubt as to whether the League is legally entitled to take the place of the Conference of Ambassadors vin , settling the Italo-Groek question. ,•' - ■ '"/'•'. ■ ; ■' ' v The French Foreign Office emphasises the impossibility of comparing France's independent action ■/ with ' Italy's, : and / points out that the Versailles Treaty perm;ts .France to enter the .Ruhr. '' / A -'••' ;,'. The Figaro describes* the Italian action / as a crime,-as absurd and as abominable : ] The Oeuvre says that Italy in killing and i;l wounding inoffensive civilians has entirely £ changed the complexion of affairs. All ;• nations are bound to respect /ilia League; ;;i of Nations pact* J: