RUMANIA AND PEACE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3339, 13 March 1918, Page 16

RUMANIA AND PEACE.

A TREATY SIGNED. Berlin official: -Rumania has accepted the armistice conditions. - A Message from Bucharest states that, a preliminary treaty has been signed between the Quaaruplice. It provides that Rumania cedes the Dobrudja as tar as the Danube. The Quadrupiice will provide for the maintenance of a trade route for Rumania via 'Constanza to the Black Sea. Rumania accepts in principle the frontier ratifications demanded by Austria-Hungary, which are unspecified, also economic measures corresponding therewith. The demobilisation of at least eight Rumanian divisions immedliately is promised. Marshal von Mackensen will share in the control of the demobilisation with the Rumanian command. The remaining demobilisation will be undertaken when a RussoRumanian peace is restored. Rumanian troops will immediately evacuate AustriaHungary's territory, and the Rumanian Government undertakes to support with all its strength the railway transport of Quadruplice troops through Moldavia and Bessarabia to Odessa. * Ihe State Department at Washington has been advised that Count Czernin (Austrian Premier) has warned Rumania that if she failed to accede to the Austro-German terms, she would be wiped off the map of Europe. Vienna papers state that Kink Ferdinand's abdication of the throne is the first condition in the Rumanian peace terms The Arbaiter Zeitung, of Vienna, protests that the conditions of the peace offer to Rumania are disquieting, and bear no resemblance to Count Czernin's programme of "no annexations or indemnities." A Jassey correspondent states that the Cabinet expressed its unwillingness to accept the first ultimatum at the start of the peace discussions. A reply arrived two hours late, wherupon the Austrians renounced the armistice and sent another ultimatum, saying that the reply not having arrived in time they could not keep the condition imposed. RUSSO-RUMANIA PEACE SIGNED. A Russian wireless message states that a Russo-Rumanian peace has been concluded, its terms including the evacuation of Bessarabia by. the Rumanians at an early date. MASSACRES BY TURKS. The New York Times "Hague correspondent states that authentic information from Asia Minor has been received that the entire male Armenian population at Hamsun (Black Sea port in Anatolia), including children, have been massacred by the Turks. Ihe Turks have massacred the remaining population of Trebizond. Many were incinerated. A number of children were tied m sacks and thrown into the sea. All the women, and even young children, were illtreated, and some Armenians were crucified. WAR PRISONERS. In the House "of Lords, replying to Lord Beresford, Lord Newton admitted that the condition of British prisoners employed in German mines was often deplorable. They worked in parties of two or' three, scattered ever a large area, these circumstances allowing thf.rn to be treated with great brutality. Germany usually explained that prisoners were not worked harder than civilians. Representations to Berlin were made whenever a case was proved. In the House of Lord the Earl of Derby, in justifying the non-exchange of interned civilians, said that of 15,000 interned Germans in Britain eligible for repatriation, the majority were reservists of the German army, while of 3000 Britons at Ruhleben 2000 were. seafarers whom Germany regarded as combatants. Information from neutral sources indicates that British prisoners are excellently treated in Bulgaria. Among 120 British civilians from Ruhleben who have arrived at Rotterdam, en routo to England, is Tom Sullivan, the New Zealand sculler. In the House of Commons Mr J. F. Hope (a Junior Lord of the Treasury) stated that he believed that an agreement with the Turkish Government regarding an exchange of prisoners would be ratiSed. BRITISH WAR LOAN. Loan week was inaugurated with much enthusiasm. Six tanks were operating in -. arious centres. The first day's subscription

includes one subscription of £2,250.000, one of £2,000,000, four of £1,000,000, and several half-millions. The applications for war bonds notified by the Bank of England show in the first fivo days of the Business Men's Week a total of over £112,000,000, not including the remotor districts. London subscribed over £71,000,000, of which the City "tanks" collected £24,000,000. GERMANY'S LOST COLONIES. iSir William MacGregor, in a paper read in Edinburgh on the settlement of the Pacific, urged the absolute necessity of Groat Britain retaining the interests which she had secured in order to preserve the integrity of the future and the safety of the Empire. HONOUR FOR NEW ZEALANDERS. The bar to the Distinguished Service Order has been awarded to Lieutenantcolonel V. M'Carroll, New Zealand Mounteds; the Military Cross to Lieutenant J. R. Foley, a New Zealander. and 12 Distinguished Conduct Medals to New Zealanders. A bar to the Military Cross has been awarded to a New Zealandciy Lieutenant D. B. Murchison, of the Mounted Rifles. The Albert Medal has been awarded to Trooper .Tames Werner Magnusson, of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles. When a transport was lost he dived into a rough soa. swam to the assistance of an injured soldier, placed him in a boat, returned to the sinking ship, rejoined his unit, but lost his life. GENERAL ITEMS. The French Cabinet has approved of the calling up of the 1919 class. The Daily Chronicle states that the shipping controversy between Norway and Britain has been settled. After M. Clemenceau's stirring speech in the Chamber of Deputies a vote of' confidence in the Government was passed by 400 votes to 75. At Ruiffby football, New Zealand Headquarters (32 points) beat Royal Military Academy (nil). The Press Bureau reports that a fire and a slight explosion occurred at r mutation works in South Wales, two persons being killed and four suffering from burns. The damage was not serious. In the House of Commons Mr John Ward stated > that the Paper Commission was considering more drastic restrictions, in view of the increasing scarcity, causingthe cutting down of newspaper issues. It is understood that 'Mr Bonar Law will to-day demand a vote' of- credit of £550,000,000,, making a total for the war period of £6,890,000,000. The Daily Telegraph understands that a. settlement of the dispute with the *engineers over the Man-power Bill is within sight. Tho coal porters at Tilbury hare been allowed an extra meat.ration. The British miners have taken a ballot, which has resulted in favour of "the Government proposal to comb out 50,000 miners for the army. The Press Bureau states that the Government has decided to recruit 50,000 fit, unmarried coal "miners under the age of 25. Mr G. N. Barnes in a speech indicated that the engineers' man-power dispute was practically settled. A great espionage trial is in progress at Antwerp. There 'are 63 prisoners, eight of whom have been sentenced to death. The first; meeting of the Belgian Parliament since the war began is arranged to be held in Paris this month. Sir Thomas Mackenzie has visited the New Zealand camps, and found all the units very fit. He also visited the incapacitated men at Torquay, where a good hall is being provided for their entertainment prior to embarkation. In the House of Commons Lord Robert Cecil (Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs) stated that the Government was carefully examining proposals for a league of nations to enforce peace after the war.. Doubtless the allied nations were acting similarly. In the House of Commons Mr A. Bonar Law (Chancellor of the Exchequer) said he hoped to make a general statement as to the Government policy regarding the carrying out of the resolutions passed at the Paris Economic Conference after Easter in connection with tho Imports and Exports Bill. . , • The Serbian Legation domes the German report that peace negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro are impending. The Montenegrin Minister of War, m a letter to the press, indignantly denies the rumour that Montenegro may conclude a peace with the Central Powers. He mentions that 2000 Montenegrins are fighting on the French front, and adds that the Central Powers formally offered the Montenegrin Government peace, which it rejected with contempt. . • \ Polish brigade of 8000 men mutinied. Croatian infantry obstructed the mutineers reaching Rumano-Bessarabia territory, and took prisoner the Poles after severe fighting. There \ver<* heavy mutual losses. In the House of Commons, in response to a women's deputation which had interviewed Ministers with regard to munitions reconstruction, Lord Rhondda (Food Controller) said he was devising a scheme varying tho flat rate of rationing in favour of those engaged in heavy manual work. He pointed out that those engaged in shipyards were entitled to at least as much as the Home army. ~ It is feared that 40,000 women will be unemployed in the next six weeks owing to the closing of the munition works. The Press Bureau • states that by an explosion in a small Government workshop in South London four persons were killed and one injured. The shop was destroyed. The "tanks in London yesterday raised £14,229,000. The total applications throughout the country for war bonds on Tuesdiv. and Wednesday amounted to £60,0C0",O0O. \ ' The British Government has accepted thtough the Defence Department the Australian Pigeon-breeders' offer of 2000 young homers for war purposes. Professor Delbruck, interviewed by the Neueswiener Journal, after characterising Herr von Bethmann-Hollwcg's communica* tion of March 3 as the greatest piece of diplomatic clumsiness, admitted that it was not' hard to show that the British had really not desired war. The British Government also took pretty considerable, if not the utmost, trouble to avoid war.