ALLIES' PEACE TERMS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLVI, Issue 12998, 10 November 1916, Page 2

ALLIES' PEACE TERMS.

S'liouM the Kntente I*.deride vith'vtt del-iv the terms of peat <** to be enforced" on th* enemy? That i* a «|»ie*tton a £."o»:l many minds just now. ami 'wi artin tin- "National Review, v. hich i- put f'-ward a-i a "= , fc''t''h P rl "|; aiilv intended •>" stimulate n -ts that the t>Tin» should i>" debated a:!'! put- forward the v. liter's vi -v i>s to whit th-jv -hoiild be. Th- writer I'-'imt- that the AHes win unanimous >■> dealing with the Join ertesnv Statis separately. f «.f the ; t ... - Vt!-':ity .States hav: been ill-play in.: a : »-:i£ t .r ;in in h-pendent peace, .-ays ti. v.riUr. a "sensible attitude on tin- pa:t >f AnstriaHuiiirarv. 'lurkev. ami l»ul--2 iri.:. that ""iiillit r.ot to he di-e-mr.-?,.;# < as seo» a- we on f.'ir fi'io have made u; mir minify a? to th.- comliti'.it- v..- meat to insist unon in each <a«■.' Th.- fir.lt deais with th< TSalkaiis. In thi.- connection it must hi mentioned 111 »t the article v.-a? written be tote I.otirn.mia rame in. ami it may h> assumed that th*' handing over to our nev Allv «f Transylvania nm.-t be added ti the propped term.-. S--r! ia ami Montenegro must he nstorir l and i omr-ensaled. The Serbian fr->ttt»er._ mti.it b- extended north-westwa: ds at:' I westwards at the expeii-e of Austria. f'<> a' I t.> give the kingdom a looting en th. I idriati-. .»i(i t>> incorporate within i> a: . h ast a portion of the Serho Croatian p 'pti [ lation now under llap.-htir; ink-.

'Hie problems created by the terorv.titu ti»n of the Serbian boundaries, the < oi: prns.it i >ii whit h Italy and l!ii/>ia v. ill mand. the redistribution oi t-rrito: ies h Asia. th-J of-'tiin.- of the Dardanelles. thpolitic i! position of Turkey, are ivtVirc to. The Balkan ncitiii.-ula. however, pre sent* the greatest ditliculty for solution he cause of ti- many opposing interests an< national:tie.=.

To hr.nd over all Serbian Maredoiiin tr Bulgaria. how the latter count r;. h.n "behaved. w.nld Pe out of the tpi. stiou S«>rue at l.ast o! this debatable t»rrit..r} muht '~e to IJulcaria. a.- a .*et off acai:i-t a r.---in to Serbia of tin ba.stion of lln'.rari m territory which apresent juts in between S.-rbi.i and Ron mania on tin- bank of the Dannie. Then thi> Kntente I'owerf will as stive<l!v demstml a heavy inilemnity fn.ir fiiiltcarta. to he over to S'-roia. ar.d thev uujht to enforce at least a par ttai disarmament ot the former ronntiy. Thev v.'H. moreowr, presumably ihpcff that crafty perfklious Regenerate who a' present rei;ns in Sofia, and will set up their own nominee in hi? plaee. If nulcarta not soon in. however. ?hf shoukl he ipt.l off the slate. The most important point of all for the Kntente Powers to deride ti|.-on amc-ncs" themselves, however, is witli reiinxl lo th eonditions and the |Kinislimeiit that arc to h'e inllictefl upon fjermany. In our wii! upon th* Finns we shall he dir ♦-iting terms '» princes and politieian.and soldiers uho=e v..>r<l is valueless. Belgium must, as far as !s praeticahl-j. f.c restored t<> her «>!d jK'.-ition with an eastern increase of territory, awl Alsac and Lorraine ,-hootd he restoierl I 1 France, which shotild also insist on the rich ami strategically Saar Valtey. Prussian Poland should be in lorp ta'.ed in Russian Poland, and the East Prussian frontier slhhiW he rectified in Kussia's favonr.

The I!riti.-*h Umpire's terms concern 'he maritime Germany must bo to:up.'lir»l t" hand over practical!;.- th'wltoie matcnal of her navy. to be <l'-alt

with i>y the Allies as these think fit. The i[Ui'»ti>>"ii, however. arises whether tlii* material f'Usht to lie distributed pro rata between tile Entente rower:-, or whether it should be sunk at sea: the latter <oni>:might perhaps he the best to follow, the olijevt «'i taking the ships over simply being to deprive Germany of all her modern light vessels. .Another on which this mtin'ry must adopt a very firm attitude indeed i.in respect to the merchant shipping to lie handed over by Germany in satisfaction for the vessels that have been sunk by enemv cruisers ami submarines contrary to international law. This affects France, Russia. Italy, and Japan, as well as ourselves: but we have been the greatest snfTerers from Teutonic piracy. Neutral shipping should also be compensated for vessels sunk by the enemy. Germany, the article concludes, must be disarmed and rendered incapable of mak ing war uj*>n a neighbour for many years to come, and render impracticable _ the mobilisation of more than. *av, hnif a million men. Her war material should 1» handed over tt> the Allies and jettisoned irtjea.

The punishment of those responsible K>r the i.< (f.nsidercd. and nunitive roprisal.< uj.oii (Jerm.m towns and public ai'r recommended. " K<jh i-;il--of this kind, undertaken methodically in acfoi dance with a clause in the treaty of p-'a .1 ii-i with the reason assigned, would at least do something towards hrinninj home to a debased but overbearing ra<e the indignation with which the conduct that Germans have I tern guilty or is regarded in civilised cominunilies." As to IJerman property abroad, "wholesale sr fiuestrati'iii may become necessary should the enemy not sue for peace when beaten, < r .-hould fresh crimes aaainst the customs of war and against humanity be piled lip by a brutal and degraded race."