TROUBLE AND INTRIGUE

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 52, Issue 3750, 1 May 1936, Page 8

TROUBLE AND INTRIGUE

SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE. RECENT CONFERENCES. The Czechoslovakian Premier, Dr. Hodza, left Prague recently for Belgrade. Although the Yugoslavs are a suspicious Dr. Hodza can count on a warm reception in Belgrade, wrote the Vienna corespondent of the Manchester Guardian. Unfortunately the optimism which was registered after the journey made by Dr. Schuschnigg, the Austrian Chancellor, to Prague has somewhat receded. The Austro-Czechoslovakian trade negotiations which were started as a result of Dr. Schuschnigg’s journey are not proceeding favourably, and the leader of the Czechoslovakian delegation left Vienna apparently to get new instructions. It is asserted that the negotiations will be continued after his return.

The Austro-Rumanian commercial relations have also been in difficulties lately. If Czechoslovakia and Rumania which in principle are more favourably inclined towards the ideal of Central European co-operation, have difficulties in arranging their commerce with Austria, it is obvious that with Yugoslavia it will be even harder for Austria to come to terms.

While Italy regarded with growing alarm Austria’s improving relations with the Little Entente, the Austrian Foreign Minister’s journey to Florence, where he had conversations with Signor Suvich, has caused new distrust towards Austria .in Belgrade. German Propaganda. Moreover, German propaganda ■is strong in Belgrade, where it reaches very high quarters. Though even the army is affected by this propaganda, it is believed that in case of war Yugoslavia would need France more than she did Germany. France has been unpopular in Yugoslavia ever since the Marseilles murders, and she has also failed to carry out promises she made to compensate the Yugoslavs for losses suffered through sanctions.

On the other'hand, the hopes held by the Yugoslavs for an increased trade with Germany have not been fulfilled, and the Germans haye also accumulated debts in Yugoslavia amounting to £3,000,000. It is obvious, therefore, that there are still great obstacles in the way of co-operation in the Danubian territory. Political suspicions, intrigues, and propaganda are still constituting a great impediment towards better relations. In spite of these obstacles the more optimistic students believe that Dr. Hodza’s journey may considerably help to allay at least part of the Yugoslav suspicions.

The economic conference of the Little Entente will meet in Prague, and the experts of the three countries will for the first time analyse the possibilities of co-operation with countries outside the Little Entente.

If the Little Entente’s economic relations with Austria are still experiencing difficulties it is probably a poor consolation that Austro-Hun-garian trade relations have also been handicapped recently and that the semi-official “Pester Lloyd" had to complain that Austria was buying Russian wheat instead of Hungarian, as she promised to do in the Rome Treaty. The Austrian Government organ, the “Oesterreischische Zeitung” denied that Austria has acted in an unfriendly spirit in this matter, and said that Austria had paid 3s a quintal more for Hungarian wheat than was agreed in the Rome Treaty. The paper also says that Austro-Hun-garian trade relations would be resumed in March. One must also register the report of the Hungarian papers that the Polish Premier intends to visit Budapest in the near future and that Colonel Beck, the Polish Foreign Min-is-ter, will visit Belgrade. There is, however, no confirmation available of these two reports.