PEACE CONFERENCE

Timaru Herald, Volume CVIII, Issue 16798, 31 March 1919, Page 11

PEACE CONFERENCE

A FRAN CO-AMERICAN DIFFERENCE. WHY' M, CLEMENQEAU OFFERED TO RESIGN. Received 5.5 p.m., March. 30tli. NEW YORK, March 29. The report is current that Mr Wilson on his return to Paris assured M. Clemenceau that America would not support the full French demands in reference to the west bank of the Rhine, and: would not support France's opposition to the amalgamation of Ger-man-Austria with Germany, whereupon, according to the report, Mr Clemenceau offered his resignation on March 17. ■WORSE FOR GERMANY. PARIS,; March 28.; Herr Schiedemann in 1 " the " National Assembly declared that the Peace terms appear to he growing worse. REPARATION. United • Service. PARIS, Marcli 24. Mr Murdoch writes: The Big Four are getting close to an agreement * on the reparation question. Experts refer repeatedly to the figures twenty-five milliard francs immediately and six or eight milliards annually for at least; thirty years hence. It is understood that Australia's amended claim presented last week approximates 350 millions. ! v ariotjsTvFatters . • PARIS, March 29. A Council of the Foreign Ministers of the Four Great Powers is now sitting to deal with subsidiary matters connected with the Peace Treaty. The Council has named a committee to inquire into the Moroccan question of • Waterways Commission recommends Hamburg and Stettin as out-i Jets for Bohemia, which should r os fallowed tp develop a mercantile marfne. The Finance Committee of the Conference, nridier Lord sfontagu's Pre>-s'-denccy, is considering the German l>ub}ie debt, alSo the question I 'of Government and State property in States ceded under thfc Peace Treaty. 3 The Armenian delegation urgently appeals for food foj- 45,000 inhabitants of Erivan, who are without bread.. Every kind of animal lias been killed for food in the Igden region. A telegram .From the Tiflis front from the American relief agent states: "Another week like the last and thousand lives will be lost. In Heaven's name mnke haste>." A

A German Commission of six financiers have been instructed to come, to Spa, after which they will receive glnstructions as to a "meeting placed in France, -there to consult on the. Tne%na for payment for food. supplies and <&he question of the realisation of German securities for the purpose. The Supreme Economic Council ihas invited neutrals adjoining Germany to send delegates to discuss transitional questions of finance between them and the Allies. The invitation has \feen accented.

Under the Brussels agreement Germany was allowed to export certain commodities, but under art'clo 3 the export of coal, timber, dye stuffs, iron and steel products, sugar, glass, electrical and certain other machinery was provisionally prohibited. It is now agreed s that.the All es shall have a preemptive right to purchase Wo-thirds each of these commodities. The remaining third can be exported to other countries, the proceeds of the sale' to be applied to payment of food. This arrangement will be abrogated after the preliminary peace is signed. A credit of a quarter of a million sterling was granted to Serbia to purchase horses and mutes to enable the rc-establisbment of agriculture.