A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 83, 2 January 1935, Page 7

A BACKGROUND TO THE NEWS

To Protect Austria

The negotiations for the completion of a pact between France and Italy have been known for some time, as also has the scheme to enlist the support of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Hungary, and Rumania, for the protection of the independence of Austria. The source from which danger’to Austria Is suspected is Germany as it is known that that country has long harboured the ambition of seeing Austria amalgamated with it. Germany, therefore, is. not in favour of the scheme. On her part Germany says she has no intention of infringing Austrian independence in any way whatever. Her statesmen say they have no more earnest desire than that the Austrian people should be given the opportunity of expressing their true opinion, free from all internal and external pressure. “The sworn enemies of Austria’s right of self-determination wish to amalgamate in an alliance for the protection of Austrian independence—and then ask Germany whether she would not like to join” is the view that German opinion takes of the scheme. To them it is but another French PanEuropean Pact system, directed against Germany. Were Yugoslavio to come into the scheme it could only be by sinking its serious differences with Italy on the question of Dalmatia. Cardinal Bourne.

Cardinal Bourne who is in a critical condition took seriously ill at Rome in December, 1932. Born at Clapham, London, on March 23, 1861, the son of a post office official and convert to Roman Catholicism, he was ordained priest in 1884. He-served as curate at Blackheath, Mortlake and West Grinstead in succession. He was the founder in 1889, and the first head, of a theological seminary in the diocese of Southwark, of which he was made bishop in 1897. He had previously, in 1895, received the appointment of domestic chaplain to tie Pope. When Cardinal Vaughan died in 1903 Bishop Bourne succeeded him as Archbishop of Westminster. He is now the head of the English Roman Catholic Church. He was created a cardinal on November 27,1911. , Solovetski.

Zinovieff and Kamenoff, ex-Bolshe-vik leaders, have been sentenced to banishment in Solovetski Island, in the White Sea. The White Sea is a branch of the Arctic Ocean in the north-west of the Russian province of Archangel. It is enclosed by Cape Sviatoi on the west and Cape Kanin on the east, between which the distance is 100 miles; and stretches first due south, and then south-west for a total length of about 480 miles. It is of very irregular shape, branching off at the large bays of Mezen in the east, Archangel in the south, Onega in the south-west, and Kandalkaska in the west. It. receives numerous rivers of which the more important are the Mezen, North Dvina, Onega, Vig, Kemi, and Kajnenna. The sea, which contains many islets, is navigable by large ships, and possesses within it the important harbour of Archangel, not far from the mouth of the Dvina. It is frozen annually from the beginning of September to the end of May and sometimes to as late as July. Solovetski Island is one of a group of islands in the Gulf of Onega, 140 miles west-north-west of Archangel, and is about 18 miles long by 12 miles wide. It has large deposits of talc, which is extensively used in glazing. x . 1 Japan’s Navy.

Japan is seeking a new naval agreement based on-an agreed upper limit and not on ratio. Under the Treaty of Washington heavy reductions were effected in the Japanese Fleet, and under the Treaty, of London there was a further reduction. The Japanese Admiralty has followed the example set by the United States in modernising the older battleships and battle-cruisers. The extreme angle of elevation of the heavy gnus has been increased to 30 degrees, as has 'been done in the American ships, thus giving them greatly increased range. A further measure taken by the Admiralty is an increase in the Japanese flying force, which is at present inferior in numbers to the American. Naval expenditure between 193233 and 1934-35 was doubled, rising from 211,000,000 yen to 403,000,000 yen (the yen is to-day worth 14jd.). Japan has in hand a special programme involving an expenditure of £50,000,000 in the next four years, and providing two aircraft carriers each of 10,000 tons, two cruisers of 8500 tons, 14 destroyers of 1400 tons, six submarines, four torpedo boats, four submarine chasers, and one mine layer. For 1935-36 estimates totalling 714,720,000 yen were submitted in August. The Japanese destroyer force is extremely efficient and admirably trained. Japan has the fastest submarine flotilla in the world. In naval manoeuvres held last summer 180 warships and 200 naval aeroplanes took part. French Five-Year Plan,

/ M. Rollin, Colonial Minister, has described a five-year plan that is being prepared to make the French Empire economically independent. The 'colonies and dependencies of France (including Algeria and Tunis) have an area which is given officially as 4,265.188 square miles. France herself has 212,659 square miles, so she is nearly twice the size of New Zealand. Indio-China, from which France expects to get large quantities of coal, is about two and a half times the size of New Zealand, and has a population of 22,000,000. The coal output is about 2,000,000 tons annually. It is one of the great rice-growing areas in the world. Phosphates, zinc, tin, chrome, graphite and lead are also produced. Algeria, from which long staple wool is to be obtained is in the northern part of Africa, extending for 650 miles along the Mediterranean Sea, between Tunis on the east and Moracco on the west. Wheat, barley, oats, and tobacco are grown in fairly large quantities, while dates*and figs and other 1 fruits grow abundantly. The country contains nearly 8.000,000 sheep. French interests in Morocco are considerable because of its proximity to Algeria. It became a French protectorate in 1912. Agriculture is by far the most important industry, the principal crops being wheat and barley. The output of coal has been small, but lead ore and manganese are produced In exportable quantities. Prospecting is being carried out for other minerals including gold, silver, iron, tin, copper, antimony, zinc, petroleum. The protectorate has embarked on a policy of stimulating mining enterprise by State participation.