AUSTRIAN REQUEST.

Wairarapa Age, 31 August 1933, Page 5

AUSTRIAN REQUEST.

SPECIAL TROOPS TO DEFEND FRONTIER. CONSENT OF LITTLE ENTENTE SECURED. GREAT POWERS EXPECTED TO AGREE. RUGBY, Augilst 29. An agreement will probably be concluded within a few days, embodying the conditions in which the British, French and Italian governments consent to a request recently made by the Austrian Government for permission to raise for one year a special auxiliary force of 3000 men. The Governments of the Little Entente Powers are understood to have been consulted and to have given their consent. The Austrian request arises out of the atmosphere of tension existing on the Austro-German. frontier. By the terms of the Treaty of Saint Germain the Austrian army is allowed 30,000 men, but it has never been, up to full strength. The derogation from the Treaty consists in the enlistment of recruits for the new force on short service instead of for the normal twelveyear period. It is stipulated that this enlistment will be. for not less than five and not more than six months. The duration of the agreement is limited, and will, it is hoped, be only temporapr. It does not imply any .precedent of future policy. It is pointed out that the very fact that agreement is being drawn up reinforces the sanctity of the Treaty, since it constitutes an admission that the Treaty cannot, be altered unilaterally.—(British Official Wireless.)