THE PEACE CONGRESS

Waikato Times, Volume 90, Issue 14025, 31 March 1919, Page 5

THE PEACE CONGRESS

MOROCCAN AND DUTCH QUESTIONS (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) Received March 30, 5.5 p.m. PARIS, March 29. The Council of Foreign Ministers has named a committee to inquire into the Moroccan question and the frontiers of Schleswig. OPENING THE WATERWAYS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) ; Received March 30, 5.5 p.m.-'"; vli; PARIS, March 203 The Waterways Commission recommends Hamburg and , Stettin as oq.lKfts for Bohemia!; so asvo allow Bohemia to develop s ■•mercantile marine. '*■ 1 - - ',i: THE TERMS GROWING WORSE. OPINION IN GERMANY., (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) Received March 30, 5.5 p.m. PARIS, March 29. Herr Schiedemanri; in the National Assembly, declared that the peace terms appear to be growing worse. He intends to comply with Ludendorff’s request for trial before a High Court. DEALING WITH SUDSIDIARY MATTERS. MEETING OP FINANCE COMMITTEE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) Received March 30, 5.5 p.m. PARIS, March 29. A convention of the Foreign Ministers of the four Great Powers is now sitting to deal with subsidiary matters connected with tlie Peace Treaty. The Finance Committee of the Conference, under Hon. E. G. Montagu’s presidency, is considering the apportionment of the German public debt; also the question of Government and State property in the States ceded under the Peace Treaty.

THE DANTZIG QUESTION

ANGLO-AMERICAN AGREEMENT

TO OVERCOME GERMAN

OBJECTIONS

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Received March 30, 5.5 p.m.) PARIS, March 29.

It is understood that Mr Lloyd George and Mr Wilson are in agreement in connection with a diminished corridor to Ejantzig, It is believed that the construction of a new railway through 'the area peopled principally by Poles;' where few Germans are located, would largely overcome the German objections. PRELIMINARY MEETING WITH GERMANS I REGARDING PAYMENT FOR FOOD. LIMITING GERMANY’S EXPORTS. (Australian and N.Z. Gable Assn.) (Received March 30, 5.5 p.m.) PARIS, March 29. A German Commission of six financiers has been instructed to come to Spa, after which they will receive instructions as to the meeting place in France, there to consult on means for payment for food supplies, and the question of the realisation of German securities for the purpose. The Supreme Economic Council has invited neutrals adjoining Germany to send delegates to discuss transitional questions of finance between them and the Allies. The invitation has been accepted. Under the Brussels agreement, Germany will be allowed to export certain commodities, but under Article 3 the export of coal, timber, dye stuffs, iron and steel products, sugar, glass, electrical and certain other machinery is provisionally prohibited. It is now agreed that the Allies shall have the pre-emptive right to purchase two-.thirds each of these commodities, while the remaining third can be exported to other countries, the proceeds of the sale to be applied to the payment for food. This arrangement will be abrogated after the preliminary peace is signed. FINANCIAL HELP TO SERBIA TO RE-ESTABLISH AGRICULTURE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Received March 30, 5.5 p.m.) PARIS, March 29. A credit of £250,000 has been granted to Serbia to purchase horses and mules, to enable the re-establish-ment of agriculture. THE WORLD .FOOD SHORTAGE. BEEN- GREATLY OVERSTATED. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Received March 30, 5.5 p.m.) PARIS, March 29. The Economic Council states thai the estimates of the world’s food shortage has been greatly overstated. THE COST OF REPARATION. NEARING AN AGREEMENT. (United Service.) (Received March 30, 5.5 p.m.) . PARIS, March 29. Mr Murdoch writes: “The Big Four are getting to close agreement on the reparation question. Experts refer repeatedly to the figures, 25,000,000,000 francs immediately, and 0,000.000,000 or 8,000,000,00(3 annually for at least 30 years. It is understood that Australia’s amended claim presented last week approximates £350,000,000.” NEW ZEALAND DELEGATION. ALLOTMENT OF REPRESENTATION. (From R. Riley. Official Journalist.) PARIS, January 30. The allotment to New Zealand of direct representation at the Peace Conference by one delegate only had been decided, closed and sealed, a week before Mr Massey, Prime Minister, and Sir Joseph Ward, Minister of Finance, arrived in Paris on January 22nd. They were thus deprived of the opportunity given to, and fully exploited by, all the other delegations to make and support claims for the fullest direct representation possible at the Conference table. It has been contended, of course, that the unavoidable absence of the New Zealand Ministers from the important preliminary inter-Allied confcriyices, or conversations (to use the official term) did not really affect (lie,. decision of the Council of the great Allied and Assflr ' dated Powers. It is impossible in the circumstances,, to challenge that contention, but it is at ijeast, right and proper to place,on record the fact that’ the New Zealand, representatives were - not consulted- on the question of allotment of representation-’ at the Peace Conference, and had no opportunity of placing before the Council the Dominion’s claims and reasons for their claims, for the same measure of representation as was allotted to States whose war service on behalf of' the Allies is not equal to that of New Zealand, . . ...

It may be stated that the question of representation generally was discussed thoroughly at several sessions of the preliminary Inter-Allied Conference. Many protests were submitted and numerous amendments made before the Council, consisting of the President of the United States of America and the Prime and Foreign Ministers of the great Allied and Associated Powers, i -ich d their final decision. At one stage, indeed, it seemed as though the representation question would never be closed. Need it he said that even after it was closed the Council’s decision, had failed to give anything like general, satisfaction. ! ’ i . Tho Nation’s Representatives. ; ' The allotment bf international repre-sentation-at' the Peace Conference, ’t\)ajs as follows':-—British Empire, I.’jii'fctl States of America, France, Italy’ and Japan, five dclegatfes'ekch; Brazil, .three delegated" British .Dominions New Zealand) and India (including the native States), two delegates; Belgium China, Greece, Roumania, Poland, Serbia, and the Czecbo-Slovak Republic, two delegates each; New Zealand, Portugal, Siam, Cuba, Guatemala, Hayti, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, and Panama, one delegate each. Montenegro was also allotted one delegate, but the rules concerning the designation were deferred until the political situation of tills country shall have been cleared up. The representation of Russia was also necessarily deferred. As a result of further consideration Belgium and Serbia were allotted three representatives apiece. % • It was understood, rather than resolved, at the preliminary sessions of the Inter-Allied Conference that the panel system should apply to all the Great Powers, and also that any Power could change its representatives from time to time. As far as one could learn from the free talk at the headquarters of the British delegation about the allotment of representation, the aim of the Allied Council bad been an honest and a very patient attempt to exercise justice to all States. There appeared, however, to be a strong feeling among many delegates that the allocation of three [representatives to Brazil was at least preposterous, if not outrageous, while oilier countries which had rendered substantial service and made great sacrifices on behalf of the emancipation of the world from Prussian militarism had been classed, as regards representation at the Peace Conference, with Siam, Liberia, and Panama. The exceptional position given to Brazil was apparently justified by diplomatic’"reasons. . Perhaps- the main reasbß .was a laudable aim at convincing her Latih-Amorican, people that the interests'of the froe. nations are > more acceptable than: those of the defeated Central Dowers. But it is for the Supreme Council of the Allied and Associated Powers to justify their diplomatic generosity to Brazil. New Zealand’s Position. Such was the position and such the comments in respect of representation at the Peace Conference when the New Zealand delegation arrived in this great rendezvous of the world’s peacemakers. And it was at once obvious that there was no chance at all of having New Zealand’/ claims reconsidered by the Council of the Powers. No attempt was made to appeal to the Council; but it was deemed reasonable and proper, having regard to all the circumstances, to place the question of New Zealand’s representation before the British’ delegation. To begin w'Ti, Soutti Africa had, for the first time, i been given precedence over Nov/ L - land in the order of what may be termed the relative importance of the British Dominions, as determined apparently on the basis of white population. Then it was admitted that due consideration had been given to the war service of eacli Dominion and State, excepting of course Brazil, and also to necessity of recognising the right of nationhood as now claimed by all the Dominions; further, there was the natural desire to secure that the case of each Dominion should he presented with the best possible effect. After careful consideration of all these points and phases of representation of the Dominions and other small States, the- New Zealand delegation decided to bring the matter up at the/earliest opportunity. Mr Massey called on M r Lloyd George the morning after the New Zealand delegation’s arrival in Paris, and the British Prime Minister.immediately and without any hesitation or reservation agreed to have the question of New Zealand’s representation considered at a meeting of Ihe British delegation—practically tho British Imperial War Cabinet—that day. Botii of our Ministers attended the session of the British delegation, and received a hearty welcome. The conference was private, so it is not permissible to report the discussion, but it can at least be said that there was no' I 'attempt on the part of the New Zealand Ministers to lecture the British Government or to gain political publicity on the strength of New Zealand’s war " service, as has apparently been inferred erroneously in New Zealand. The .Ministers were invited to,.recoupt the Dominion's service in the war, and their simple recital of the facts, which require' no declamatory embellishment or “political emphasis,” was certainly appreciated. by all the British and other Dominions’ delegates. The result was an immediate agreement to include Sir Joseph Ward as a member of Britain’s delegation, and the Minister of Finance attended, as a British delegate, (he second plenary session of the Peace Conference at which the idealistic League of Nations was born to wonderful parents.