THE CONFERENCE OF PARIS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17576, 18 March 1919, Page 2

THE CONFERENCE OF PARIS

AN IfITPKESSIYB OPJEN3ONGL (Ebom Orat Own CoipESPOKiiENT.) LONDON, January 24. JJJxaoay 48 years from the proclamation of the German Kmgiio in tho Galerie des Glaces at Veraailles the greatest peace conference of all timo opened at the Quad d'Orsay to put tho seal of defeat on tho tyranny of Uerrniny. Tiio Conference of Paris is an assemblage of the representatives of Zi nations—all tuo civilised nations of tho world, as President Wilson expressed it—to decide what Germany is to do in reparation, what she is to be in tho future, and what power the world is 10 I1&Y6 to prevent new assaults upon its freedom. Tho conference is 'being held in what is known as the Clock lloom on tho ground floor of the .Foreign Office, a salon rather too g-ilded and ornate for English taste. For this historic oocasion —tho first such occasion on which tho vulgar eyea of tho press have been permitted to gaze—tho anteroom. >\as i --own open,, and accommodation was provided for nearly 250 journalists, of whom half a dozen wore women. Tho scene was not exactly a dazzling one. Nor did one look for that sort of impression, but it was impressive in the extreme from its world-wide calasy of talent and distinction. Surely history knows of no such representation of tho political Powers of the earth gathered under one roof. CELEBRITIES ASSEMBLING. ■ Not the least interesting part of the whole ceremony for those who were privileged to see it was the informal assembly ot tho delegates prior to the opening. The Times correspondent says it was like seeing a flickering kinematograph display of contemporary history, 'lhe French Foreign Minister (M. Pichon), feeling himself the host, arrived with M, Tardieu and M. Klotz about 2.30. and shortly after them came Professor Mantoux, whoso lectures on economic history at London University have been very much appreciated by students. M. Mantoux held the rank of lieutenant in the French army at tho beginning of the war, hut shortly became chief interpreter, and he is acting in that capacity at the Peace Conference. These harbingers were followed by a flight of private secretaries—British, French, and American, —and the first delegates to appear thereafter were tho Maharaja of Bikanir (in turban and khaki) and Sir S. P. Sinha (the new Under-secretary of State for India), with a batch of Japanese naval experts. General Botha, Mr Barnes, Lord Derby,' Sir George Foster (Canada), and Mr Ralfour came next, fittingly representing all the varied interests of the British Empire itself; and shortly afterwards M. Pashitch (Serbia) and the Portuguese d legates. Many of these are, of course, well-known figures in Western Europe, and tho most expectant interest ceiitred in the arrival of .the delegates from the new States which have arisen out of the wreckage of Mittel Europa— the plenipotentiaries of the Jugo-Slavs, the Croats, and the Czccho-Slovaks. The delegates were seated round a horseshoe table. President Poincare and President Wilson on his right, those two enjoying the seate of honour in the crimson and trilt arm-chairs, all the rest sitting in chairs of ebony and crimson. Mr Lloyd George was on President Poincare's left, but by an unfortunate accident he did not arrive in tho room until tho French President had been speaking for a quarter of an hour. Next to President Wilson were his delegation (Mr Lansing. Mr White, and General Blias). Colonel House's chair was empty, as,he was unable to leave his room. Then came the French representatives headed by M. Clemenceau. _ Amongst them Marshall Foeh, in his military uniform, provided almost the only piece of colour in the whole assemblage. Next to the French were the Italians, Baron Sonnino being , their leader in the absence, owing to tho political crisis, of Signor Orlando. Then camo-the three Belgians, three Bxa-zilians, one Cuban, two Oreeks, one Haytian, and one Peruvian, two.Portuguese, ; tlio Jugo-Slavs. CzechSlays, and' the representative of Uruguay. The order, of course, was alphabetical. On M. Poincare's left were tho British delegates—Mr Balfour, Mr Borrar Law, and Mr Barnes—and then Sir William Lloyd, of Newfoundland. ■' Newfoundland has no representation at the conference, but it happened that Sir William Lloyd wae first to attend under the panel system. After the British delegates were the Canadians, the Australians, the Sooth Africans, and the solitary vacant chair for New Zealand. Then the Indian representativee, the Japanese, and the Bolivian. Round the inside of the horseshoe were two Chinese, one each from Ecuador, Guatemala, the Hedjaz, Liberia, Panama.; each, frotri Poland, Rumania, and Siam.'; ;. -, ■■.;•' ', . "

It seems, fiat tie Hedjaz is to have two or three representatives. The Emir Feisul, son Aβ.King,, was present as chief representative, and was attended, though not as a delegates, by Colonel Lawrence, the graduate of Oxford, who has gone right through the Arabian operations as liaison officer. THE OPENING SPEECH.

In his opening speech, President Poincare was very; imperfectly heard even in the clock room itself,. a circumstance due to the heavy hangings of the roonu The delegates were all standing during the speech. Some ...of them . had to ■ 6train their ears painfully to hear what -was being said. Some loaned forward with one foot on a chair, and some who could not understand French, waited nonchalantlv for the interpretation. When Mr Lloyd George arrived he listened to the speech in a manner which evidently showed that his knowledge of French had been improved. When the speech was over Professor Mantoux commenced to translate, a duty which h-e informed very lucidly and accurately. The speech was a model of tact, as was obviously necessary from the many conflicting interests represented in tihe room. France, said the President, "has borne these enormous sacrifices without having incurred the slightest responsibility for the frightful cataclysm which haa overwhelmed the universe, and at the moment wbentihis cycle of horror is ending all the Powers whose delegates are assembled here may acquit £hemselves of any share in the crime which has resulted in 60 unprecedented a disaster What gives you authority to establish a peace or justice is the fact ih&b none of the peoples ol whom you axe the delegates has had any part in iajnstios. Humanity can place oonfidenae in yea. because you are not among those who havo outraged the rights of humanity. If, after long vicissitudes, those who 'wished to reign by the sword has perished by the s"word, iihey have but themselves to blame; they have been destroyed by their own blindness, "This very day, 48 years ago, on January 18, IS7I, the German Empire was'proclaimed by an army of invasion in the Chateau at Versailles. It was consecrated by the theft of two French provincea; it waa thus vitiated from its origin and by tho fault of its founders; born in injustice, it has ended in approbrinm. You.are assembled in order to repair tho evil that it has done and to prevent a reoarrence of it. You hold m your hands tho future of the world. I leave you, gentlemen, to yonr grave deliberations, and I declare the Conference of Paris open." When the translation was finished the President made a tour of tie -whole room, shaking hands with all t&e delegates, and than he left ihe chamber. : •

APPOINTING A CHAIRMAN. . At the moment .-when' the Presiaent passed out of the door M. Clemenceau stepped briskly into the chair, and formally called upon the conference to appoint a permanent chairman; ■ ■ ■ President Wilson toss at once and proposed that M. CBemenc©au himself should be the .chairman. "I should;, do jfc, he. said, " even if it were only a; question of paying homage to the French. Bepublic, but I do it also because I desire, and you certainly desire with roe, to pay homage to the man himaeif. Fraaoa, 6a it is, would alone deserro this honour, bat w© are to-day in her capital, and it is here that this great conference has met. Those who, like ourselves, have seen him -work in these- recent times know how much he ia united with «s, and -with what ardour he is -working for thai 'whicJi -we ourselves desire. For we all desire the same thing. "We desire before all to lift from the shoulder of humanity the frightful wapbt which k pressing on them, so that humanity, released from this weight, may at last return joyfully to work." The epeeeh waa interrupted by the sound of buglca of fee nth Infantry Regiment which formed the guard of honour, announcing tho_ departore of M. Poinoaire from the Qnai d'Orsay. Mr Lloyd _ George, in seconding the motion, said it "was homage to a, man. that they -wished to jpay before all. When he was at school, M. Clemenccau -was already one of the moving forces in French politics. Already his renown had spread far, and were it not for this memory of my childhood I should be tempted to believe the legend -which is commonly spread abroad of the eternal youth of M. Clemoncean. He is indeed the Grand Young Man of France. I guarantee, from my knowledge of M. Clenrenceau that there will be no time -wasted. The world is thirsting' for peace. Millions of men arc irarting to retarn to their normal life, and will not forgive us too long delays." Professor Mantoux made- rather an amusing error in interpreting the "Grand

Young Man" as the "Grand Old Man* , of Europe, at which M. Clemenceau and Mr 1-Joyd George both joinod in simultaneous protest, Te-ith amused indignation. The Little burst of laughter which followed, thie interruption was the only break in the solemnity of the proceedings. Baron Sonnino having spoken, M, C3emenccau was elected president, and ho at once, without allowing tune for applause, started tho conference on its business >by proposing the nomination of the Maxqxris Sionji as the Japanese vice-president. It seems to havo taken soma poaplo by surprise that the president at once embarked upon the question of the responsibility oi the authors of the wax and for tho crimes committed during the ■war. The Allies, ho said, had established tho principle of justice in the world, and it was only right that they should start their deliberations by fixing the responsibility, and in particular that of tho Emperor William. He also spoke of a League of Nations in terms of undoubted sincerity. ME, LLOYD GEORGE'S LATENESS. A special communique was issued explaining, apparently unnecessarily, that Mr .Luoyd George was not in any. way to blame lor the mistake which resulted in has having mado his appearance in tho conference chamber while M. Poincare was in the midst of his speech, Tho oincial programme of arrangements stated that tho President would arrive at 5.30 in the afternoon when all the representatives were in their places. If this had been adhered to the British Prime Minister would have been a quarter of an hour in advance of M- Poincare. MiLloyd George was naturally much annoyed at the position in which this placed him Although every effort was made to provide suitable accommodation for the press representatives, it is a fact that very' many of them did not see much of the assemblage,and very few of them heard anything at all of what was said. It was only by a pardonable act o£ vandalism in standing on the upholstered and gilt chairs that they were able to see much of the gathering. NEW ZEALAND'S POSITION. ■ The conference rules provide that the belligerent Jfowers witu geiierai interests (Great Britain, the United States, France, italy, and Japan) shall take part in all sittings and commissions. Those with particular interests, ißeigium, Brazil, tue British, dominions, inula, China, Ouba, Greece, Guatemala, Hayti, Hedjaz, iionduras, Liberia, .Nicaragua, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, Huun, and tue Uzociio-iSlavok lie-public) shall participate when their particular questions axe under discussion, and similarly Powers in a state of diplomatic rupture with the- enemy, 'ihey are Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay. Neutral Powers and States in process of formation "'may bo heard either oraily or in writing when summoned by the Powers with general interests."

K-ich delegation of plenipotentiaries is permitted to be accompanied by technical dolegates properly accredited, and by two stenographers. The technical delegates are to be permitted to speak for the purpose of giving desired explanations. Precedence- is according to the alphabetical order in French of tho Power.

The British Empire delegation met at tho Villa Majestic on Thursday afternoon. Mr Massoy and Sir Joseph Ward were both present. In view of the fact that Sir William Lloyd attended as a panel member the first sitting of the conference, it is evident that Sir Joseph Ward will be eligible to act in a similar capacity even if New Zealand's representation is not increased to two. The secretariat of the British delegation has been reorganised under Lord Hardiiige, with Lieutenant-colonel Sir Maurice Hankey as secretary. The British Empire Delegation (Imperial War Cabinet) has Captain dement Jones for secretary, and the member for New Zealand is Mr F. D. Thomson, private secretary to 'Mr Massey. ; '