THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14841, 19 February 1919, Page 3

THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

, RECEPTION OF COVENANT IN FRANCE. PROTECTION NEEDED AGAINST BARBAROUS GERMANS. JAPANESE BOW GRACEFULLY TO THE INEVITABLE. (United Service.! PARIS, Feb. 16. i The reception of the covenant is marked by caution and hopefulness. There is< a strong underlying feeling that an earnest attempt is vital to Europe because the strain of competition m armaments will disrupt civilisation. The war has so shocked the morals of even the victorious countries tliat the old style of unrestricted armaments must prove suicidal, hut the League has not yet been created and will have many critical hours before the covenant is adopted. The worst danger lies m the FrancoAmerican differences. France says : "You forbid us alliances and armaments and offer us only a League against the barbarous Germans who have invaded, devastated, and robbed us four times m one hundred years, and may be coming yet again. We regard the League as inadequate unless the members of America and Britain guarantee to maintain armies trained and ready to sail within fourteen days for our protection." Britain would probably agree to this, but President Wilson would not. He thinks the project could not pass the American Senate. There the matter stands.

M. Bourgeois fought hard m the last days of the Commission for the inclusion of two clauses. One established a per.manent Military Commission under the League to control disarmament and act as a unified command m the event of trouble; the other provided for a permanent military and naval organisation for the execution of covenants and obligations and for immediate efficiency m. armed measures m case of urgency. J Baron Makino urged the inclusion of the clause expressing m effect that all countries should be free to all peoples of the world. It was immediately made, plain that such a clause was impossible, and the proposal was withdrawn temporarily. It is- understood that the Japanese delegates will bow gracefully to the inevitable, though references to racial bars may be made during the discussions. It was agreed prior to President Wilson's departure that the South African and Australasian mandates should include a provision that th© inhabitants at any time by public vote may merge into the mandatory countries. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association) . NEW YORK, Feb. 16. The New York Tribune's Paris correspondent states when Mr. Balfour learned that press despatches to the United States said that the British delegates were m agreement with President Wilson's desire to remove the place of conference from France, he communicated with the American authorities and tried to stop transmission of the messages. PARIS, Feb. 16. M. Pichon, addressing Allied journalists, said' that the French Government is unanimously m favor of the League of Nations, and had no intention of weakening it, though doubtless some necessary extensions and alterations would require to be made to the covenant, which was a momentous document. Its adoption was a great step. Any amendments would probably first be examined by a Commission before submission to the' plenary session. President Wilson expressed the hope before leaving that many questions vn'ild be ripe for discussion when he i ■■'. ned.