RUSSIA’S CRISIS.

Hokitika Guardian, 4 January 1918, Page 2

RUSSIA’S CRISIS.

A CONTRADICTION, rAUSTRALIAN & N.Z. CABER ASSOCIATION] LONDON, Jan 2. Vienna - messages contradict the “Daily News” version of the peace negotiations, and declare that the negotiations will be resumed on Saturday and adding that- Russia has now adopted the standpoint that the. peoples already belonging- to a definite State cannot have the right- to decide their own destinies, because they already possess constitutional means of gaining tfiosp ends. It is reported that Russia has informed tile Entente of ibis change of view. Vienna - reiterates that in the event of the Entente giving no opening. negotiations will be continued with a view to a separate peace with Russia.

DEMANDING A LOAN. FINLAND’S INDEPENDENCE.' TAUSTRALIAN <fc N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION] BETROGR-AD, January 2. The Russians are demanding the loan of two millard francs from the Austro-Germans. Iho Bolshevik news agency states that the people’s commissioners informed the Finnish Government of their willingness to recognise the political independence of the Finnish Republic. IN AGREEMENT. UKRAINE REPUBLIC RECOGNISED. (Reuter's Telegrams.! (Received This Day at 1.20 a.m.) BETROfi RAD .1 a unary 2. The Bolshevik News Agency announces the Ukraine Rada is willing to agree to the Bolshevik constitutionally. Money has been sent to Ukraine, and Ukraine Republic -is officially recognised

GERMANS MASSING. (Received, This Dav at 8.50. a.in.) NEW YORK, Jan. 3. Dozeh Elemrot, the “New York World’s Petrograd correspondent says there are persistent reports that the Germans arc massing troops opposite Dvinsk angered by the Bolsheviks one of whom caused an interruption m the negotiations.

WARRING FACTIONS. (Received This Dav at 10.15. m.) TiONDON, Jan. 3. Ihe “Daily Chrtyuelo’s” Petrograd correspondent- says Russia is now torn by an infinity of warring factions. Sunday’ demonstration was ostensibly for peace, but in reality for civil war. The educated classes wore absent. It was a pitiful display of mass suicide.

PEACE TACTICS

1 AUSTRALIAN &' N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION] 1 Received This Day at 10.15. a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 3. Parlovitch says the tactics of the Austro-Germnn pea’ce delegates were remarkably flexible, until the arrival of the Ukrainian, delegation. Thereafter the Germans declared they would not evacuate the occupied territory, until there was a general peace, because the non-Bolshevik portions of the Russian army, assisted by the Anglo-French, might continue fighting and seize Brest Litovsk, and other important strategical points. Germans are prepared to evacuate Belgium and France, on condition that Mesopotamia and Arabia are evacuated. Otherwise Germany’s prestige in the Mohammcdari world-would receive its death blow. Pavloviteh adds that the Germans terms particularly for Russia are unacceptable.

KUHLMANX’S VISITING. (Received This Dav at 19;15. a.m.) AMSTERDAM, Jan. 3.

Herr Kuhlmann has left Berlin for Brest- Litovsk. Social Democrats presented a demand that the President of the Reichstag immediately summon the Reichstag, to discuss the policy, in view of the Brest Litovsk negotiations. Socialits are indignant at Kuhlmann’s intention to indirectly annex Russian territory. ~