TIE CENTRAL POWERS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3352, 12 June 1918, Page 38

TIE CENTRAL POWERS.

NEW 'PEACE OFFENSIVE. AUSTRIA IN A BAD WAY. THE AMBITIOUS TUBES. (By Cable.) The Echo de Paris states that Chancellor Hertling is expected to contribute to the peace offensive by a startling speech in the Reichstag shortlyThe Frankfurter Zeitung tftates that Germany desires an understanding with England, beca.use neither is able to destroy or ignore the other, but England is not disposed to be friendly. Further German victories may, however, help in that direction.

A Central News message from Amsterdam states: A peace offensive is being advocated by the whole of the German press. Some German circles attach importance to the nomination.of Prince Hatzfeld as chief German representative at the Exchange of War Prisoners Conference. Prince Hatzfeld was for eight years the German Legation Councillor in London. His mother was an American. The Central ' News understands that the British delegates will confine themselves to the treatment and exchange of prisoners. If Germany wants peace she must say so openly. The Conference of Social Democrats at Vienna appealed to the Governments of the Central Powers to offer a general peace on the following terms: —Firstly, the establishment of a League of Nations, a general disarmament, and the settlement of differences by arbitration; secondly, the renunciation of annexations and indemnities; thirdly, the granting of self-deter-mination to all border nations separated from Russia. The conference passed a resolution demanding the immediate summoning of the Austrian Reichsrath to enable the deputies to examine the peace treaties before their ratification is agreed to. AN OUTSPOKEN SOCIALIST. A proposal in the Reichstag to compensate citizens who werie arrested in Alsace-Lorraine caused an excited debate on the activity of the German militarists. Herr Wendle (Socialist) stated that thousands of peaceful citizens had been arrested during the war on flimsy pretexts. Four-fifths of the populace sided with Germany at the outset; now the majority favoured Francp, and this was owing to German military rule. The speaker demanded Home Rule for Alsace-Lorraine. REGIMENT OF CONVICTS. Vcn Hindenburg, despite the Kaiser's opposition, has persuaded the Govern ment to introduce a Bill in the Reichstagdrafting into the army convicts of military age. These are to bo constituted special regiments, commanded by officers known for their ruthlessness, and sent to the most dangerous points. Many German shirkers previously committed crimes in order to be imprisoned and so escape service with the army.

AUSTRIAN SOCIALISTS. A telegram from Vienna states that a representative conference of Austro-Hun-garian Socialists demanded the immediate convocation of the Reichsrafch to consider the Brest-Litovsk and Bucharest treaties, which treaties the conference declared to be a violation of the principles of peace by understanding. The conference resolved to request the Central Governments to offer a general peace on the basis of the establishment of a League of Nations, with general disarmament, international arbitration courts, the renunciation of annexations, and granting full self-deter-mination to the border peoples torn from Russia. The Austrian Socialist Congress has issued a proclamation war'itug the Go remraent of the danger from working- class excitement, which will be heightened if food supplies are not improved and the people get the impression that the Central Powers are fighting for imperialistic aims. The Arbiter Zeitung states: "When the sanguinary battle on the western front is concluded it will convince the people that no victory can bring peace." AUSTRIA AND ITALY. On the anniversary of Italy's entry into the war, the Austrian commandant in Udine issued a manifesto, stating that Italians should not blame Austria but Britain, who started the war, and also attempted to starve the central nations, thereby sacrificing the lives of hundreds of thousands of women and dlifldren. The manifesto concluded: "Austria's occupation of invaded Italian territory is absolutely permanent."

UNEASINESS IN AUSTRIA. A Prague (Bohemia) Court has sentenced 60 rioters to from six weeks to three months' imprisonment, these being the first batch of 100 persons who were arrested for looting a flour mill. The trials are causing popular excitement. The Berliner Tngeblatt's Vienna correspondent states that extreme uneasiness exists in German political circles and in Austria over the constant mutinies among Austria's Slav troops behind the lines. In these the victims are nearly always German officers. The mutineers entrench themselves in towns or on the neighbouring hills, and are only overcome after pitched battles. The ringleaders are mostly prisoners returned from Russia. Official despatches from Zurich confirm the revolts of Slav troops in the Austrian army.

The Slav troops at Judc.nborg killed their German officers and then resorted to anarchy. They were driven to the mountains and finallv disarmed.

The Czechs at Fumberg revolted, and a regiment at Funchiechen massacred their officers.

The Central News reports that people arriving in Switzerland from Vienna state that the impression prevalent in Vienna is that Austria is likely to undergo Russia's experience. A rebellious spirit is growing everywhere from political and economic reasons.

There have been innumerable recent attempts against military works, especially in Dalmatia and Croatia. The Hungarian patrols in Bosnia were massacred and the railways torn.up. The present immobility of the Austrian army is due to infernal insecurity. Poor harvest prospects are aggravating the situation. MASSACRE OF JEWS. The New York Herald's Christiania correspondent states that hundreds of Jews have been massacred in Austria, Galicia, and Rumania. RUMANIA AND BULGARIA. The German military authorities at Bucharest have arrested the Rumanian Socialist leaders. M. Radoslavoff (Bulgarian Premier), in an interview, said that Bulgaria had received an assurance of general support for all Bulgarian claims in Eastern Macedonia, especially those in relation to Drama, Seres, and Kavalla, when the peace treaty is signed. The German newspapers predict an early Bulgarian offensive, under General Liman Von Sanders, against Greece. ATTACK ON TURKEY. The Kreuz Zeitung attacks Turkey for her ambitions on the Black Sea coast and the Caucasus. It says: The union of the Crimea and Turkey is quite impossible, because it would injure Ukrainia's vital interests. The province of Tauridea belongs nationally and geographically to Ukrainia, which also claims Sebastopol. Turkey's idea seems to be to gain a dominating position on the Black Sea, making the Pan-Turkish idea paramount there and also make the Caucasus a strong rampart between Turkey and Russia. Hence the German policy is confronted with a difficult task. A certain antagonism between Trans-Caucasia and Turkey already exists, and antagonism between Turkey and Ukrainia is arising, while Turkey's ideas of her relations with Persia are not in the least recognised by the latter. When Germany entered the war she guaranteed Turkey's present frontiers. She will continue to fight for them, but Germany is thus entitled to oppose Turkish desires in the North-east, which go far beyond the possibilities contemplated at the beginning of the war. The paper concludes by arguing that the war must not leave antagonism between Germany and Russia. The supreme war aim is to make the formation of a fresh coalition against Germany impossible. EXCHANGING PRISONERS. The Washington State Department has received advices that Germany is exchanging prisoners with Russia at the rate of from three to five trainloads daily. While most of the Russians are suffering from tubercular disease, the German prisoners generally are healthy, and 76 per cent, of them are fit for service.