AGREEMENT PROVISIONAL ONLY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 111, 4 February 1919, Page 5

AGREEMENT PROVISIONAL ONLY

•' LIABLE TO VITAL ALTERATION. London, February 1. Omcial.-Tho disposal of the former German colonies and other enemy territories has not been' finally settled. A provisional agreement, only has • been reached, and even this- i$ indefinite and is liable to vital alteration; But it may be assumed that the Inter-Allied Conference has practically adopted the priiiciple of internationalised control; by mandatory Powers appointed ,by the League of Nations. The mandatory Powers are not yet selected, but it is safe to assume that Now Zealand will be the mandatory State of Samoa, Australia for Nqw. Guinea, i South Africa for SouthWest and South-Eas.t Afric.i, and Japan 'for the Pacific islands north 'of the Equator. The disposal of other territories is ,still undecided. It has been reported that Australia rejected the pro-/ visional agreement. Such a report is misleading, South Africa, . Australia, and New Zealand have agreed to accept the mandatory principle, with certain vital reservations and but the Australian delegate must obtain the consent of his Government. This was the basis .of the misleading report that Australia alone disagreed. The reservations and Safeguards stipulated by the delegates concerned in the future of the African colonies, New Guinea and Samoa provide for tho administration of each colony under tho laws of the mandatory Power to which the colony, is to be attached, and also for tho prohibition of certain abuses and practices foreign to British policy, such as slavery, trade in arms, and tho liquor traffic, and for tho prevention of tho military training of t natives other than for policing the colony. With these safeguards tho Pacific Dominions provisionally agree to mandatory control; but the question is still far from final settlement.—Aus..-N.Z, Cable Assn.

Paris, January 31

. The "Echo de Paris" states that the solution by th& conference of Iho colonies question is only provisional. Ministers have no right to bind their countries to stipulations., involving a diminution of sovereign rights. The various Parliaments will have something to say before ratifying the Peace Treaty.—Aus.. N.Z. Cable Assn.

TWO CLASSES OF GOVERNMENT.

New York, January 31. The "New York Sun's" Paris correspondent states that President Wilson ingested two classes of mandatory, government for the German colonies under the League of Nations—namely, that for the civilised colonies, the nation'to hold the mandate would be selected through an expression of the will of the inhabitants,. while the league would ohoos.e the mandatory nation for the uncivilised territories.

The "New York Tribune," in an editorial, says: "There-would not be an objection'to the transfer of the Gerntan colonies to the League of Nations if the trusteeship were only temporary. Permanent ownership by tho league would entail embarrassments. The colonies should be used to cancel some of the existing claims agaifist Germany for in-demnities."—Aus:-N.Z. Cable Assn.

MODIFICATIONS SUGGESTED. London, January 31.it is understood that the statement that the Imperial War Cabinet accepts the theory of intcrnationalisation of the German colonies goes far beyond the fact. Mr. Hughes and Mr. Massey both attended at the. Quai d'Orsay on Thursday and suggested some modification of their original proposals. President Wilson maintains that tho Powers agreed to discuss peace on.the basis of hi? Fourteen Points, and are therefore bound to subordinate individual advantage to the basic principles. The British delegates appreciate this, but are endeavouring to reconcile President Wilson' 9 ' principle with the Dominion interests— Aui>.-N.Z. Cable Assn.