The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1918. CHAOS IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 102, 23 January 1918, Page 4

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1918. CHAOS IN AUSTRIA-HUNGARY

The cable news regarding the widespread labour disturbances in Aus-tria-Hungary throws a lurid light upon the internal affairs of that .conglomerate Empire. The shortage in the food supply and the negotiations with llussia have created an extremely dangerous situation, and it is even possible that tho ■strikes may develop into a state of oivil war. The latest news states that the industrial chaos is spreading, that the demand for peace is becoming more imperative, and that the Cabinet has resigned. The Austrian Government is experiencing some very anxious moments, and unless the crisis is handled with caution and judgment a great upheaval may result. Whatever may be the true position as regards tho state of public feeling in Germany, there can be no doubt . that tho masses of the people in AustriaHungary are weary of the war, and that the desire for peace is growing stronger every day. From time to time thoy have been assured that the Central .Powers wero on the verge of decisive victory, but the promised triumph still tarries. "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick. ' The shattering of their hopes has embittered the subjects of the Emperor Charles. Again and again they have been urged to Btand the strain a little longer, and still a little longer, and the latest news suggests that the strain is becoming intolerable. The overthrow of the Romanoffs was an object-lesson for the liberty-loving peoples living under the oppressive rule of the Habsburgs, and tho opening of negotiations with RusBia_ has encouraged expectations which cannot be crushed without the risk of grave consequences. The conferences at Brest Litovsk have raised questions and problems which must bo most embarrassing to the German and Austrian Emperors and their advisers.

The strike movement is the outcome of a combination of causes, the principal of which are war weariness, food shortage, political oppression, military rule, hatred of Germany, and sympathy with the Russian revolution. The economic pressure is acutely felt. It is goading the people to desperation, and it is stated that the Council of Ministers of Vienna cannot find any solution. There is cot enough food for the wants of both the people and the army. If the people's wants are satisfied, it must be at the expense of the soldiers, and would mean a weakening of tho nation's fighting power. Rightly or wrongly, the populace is of opinion that the privileged classes are not bearing their fair share of privation, and the clamour for bread and peace has now reached an alarming climax. The. Arbdt&r-Zcituwj, which appears to have precipitated the crisis, is the organ of tho* Social Democratic Party in Austria. Until the relaxation of the censorship in April last it was the only prominent Viennese newspaper that gave expression to candid and independent views. Besides;, defending the policy of the Social Democratic Party, it has paid special attention to administrative abuses and to the food and general economic situation. The strikers appear to have made an impression on the Government, and have received an assurance that the peace negotiations are being expedited. A semi-official announcement declares that Austria is aiming at peace without annexations. Some months ago Count Czeenin, the Austro-Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, made a statement of war aims, in the course of which he said that unless peace_ without annexations or indemnities was immediately accepted it would be necessary for AustriaHungary to reviso its programme and seek compensation for further costs of the war. But the PanGermaus regarded Count Cxeknin's proposals with contemptuous disapproval, and they have never yet renounced their determination to extend the frontiers of Germany. Prussia's_ predatory aims and Austria's increasing war-weariness must inevitably clash, and that more seriously as time goes on.

Bitter hostility to Germany is one of the most pronounced characteristics of the strike movement.

Tho cry: "Down with Prussian militarism !" was raised by tho demonstrators at Vienna and Grata, ami precautions have had to bo taken at Vienna to protect the German Embassy. The people of Aus-tria-Hungary, with the exception of the German element, have never had much love for Germany. Experience is teaching them that Germany's principal conquest in this war is the subjugation of her own allies. They would be blind not to see that if Germany wins the war Austria-Hungary will become her vassal, and sink into a position of political, military, and economic subordination. And if Germany is defeated, as she will be, Austria must share tho crushing fate of her chief ' ally. The long-suffering peoples of Austria-Hungary must realise that they have been forced to bear unendurable hardships merely to suit tho purposes of Germany. They have everything to lose and nothing to gain. It is no wonder that they are sick and tired of the struggle. They have every reason to hate the Prussians, and profoundly to distrust the PanGermans, and the breach will be further widened by reeeut happenings in Berlin. , It is stated that the Kaiser is doing his utmost to avert a crisis, but the latest indications that he has been captured by the Pan-Germans are not likely to have a soothing effect on the resentful populace or to hush the cry for peace. The resignation of the Chief of the Kaiser's Civil Cabinet, and the appointment of a Junker of the extreme type to tho vacant position, must increaso the dissatisfaction of those who are domanding peace without annexations or indemnities. The knowledge that the Kaiser's closest personal adviser is an out-and-out Pan-German must add to the difficulties of the Austrian Government at tho present critical juncture.