THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 March 1919, Page 3

THE PEACE CONFERENCE .

fAUSTRALIAN & V.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION]

JAPANESE EXPLANATION. . (Received This Day at ».iS PARIS, March 23. The chief of the Japanese _ Press Bureau attached to the peace De f u tion in an interview, said the K.ca o Japan seeking to amend the League Covenant, was to prevent discrimination between Aliens who seemed advance enough and qualified to become members of the League. He believed the League could not be solidly founded on any° other basis. It must be founded on equality, because the citizens of nations were compelled, if necessary, to sacrifice life to defend the League. He believed it had never entered the minds of the Japanese delegates to utilise the amendment in order to press for a solution of the immigration question The former should not be confused with j immigration, which was the unanimous j demand on the part of the Japanese J people to have the equality of the | principals clearly embodied in the Covenant. j

THE INNER COUNCIL. PARIS, March 25. The definite peace proposals now formulated will be considered in the next iwo or three days by M. Clemenceau, Mr Wilson, Hon. Lloyd George, and M. Orlando, and will probably be ready for signature next week. NOT PRIZES OF WAR. PARIS. March 125. The United States view that the German cables are not prizes of war, is upheld by the Supreme Council Committee. LEAGUE COMMISSION. <R.o,esifved This Dav nt noon.) PARIS, March 24. The League Commission has received thirty-five amendments, ivlierof twentyfive are from neutrals, in the nature of suggestions, chiefly in the direction of securing clearer uiterprHa,. tions.

IMPORTANT AMEN IXXIENTS. • Rccftiyed This Day at noon.) PARIS, March 24

Two important amendments, are the Japanese for equality of treatment and French for creation of mi Allied staff, to secure speedy military action, against jany sudden aggression of labour.

■DRAFTING A REPORT. Rificived r>nv at noon.) PARIS, March 24. The Crimes Commission has now completed its investigations and is engaged in drafting the final reports.

Like the Police Commission re;: .each of these reports are subject to rigorous dissection by the Council of Ten Much time in likely to elapse before finality is reached

ITALY AND FIUME,

A DENIAL

(Received This Dav at 12.25 p.m.) • PARIS, March 24.

It is officially denied that Italy threatened to withdraw from the Conference jt Finnic was not granted to her.

SETTLING UP POINTS. PARIS, March 24

Tlie date of the signature of the preliminary peace depends on the completion of the Economic Council. The financial experts are endeavouring to find a solution by which Germany can pay tlie indemnity with the least in» jury to the industries of the Allies. It is known that certain members of the Conference desire the raising of the blockade against Germany, but the weight of the Conference is against this, realising that the whole question of indemnities and method of payment, must first be determined. Italy’s claims to Fiume are quite distinct from her Dalmation aspiration on which so much disputation with the Jugo-Slavs has recently occurred, Italy demands only a small portion of Dalmatia. Italy wants Fiume to constitute, with some lesser ports in Dalmatia, a middle Adriatic offset against her naval weakness in having only two possible bases—Brindisi and Venice. The shallow east coast of Italy precludes further fortification. It is point- « out that in the war the Austrians were able to play havoc among the Italian coasts and return in safety. They madtj many daring raids, till Lieut. Pellegrini and Captain Rizzo, hy wonderful feats of seamanship and daring, crippled or destroyed the principal Austrian ships and sent the story of their achievements ringing round tlie world. The city of Fiume is a complex problem, in which Creation, .Magyar, and Italian interests are directly involved, while, indirectly, the interests of the whole of the new Jugo-Slav State, as well as those of Bohemia and Rotimania, enter into it. Tlie city contains some 24,000 Italians, 15,000 Croats, (or Southern Slavs), 6000 Magyars, and 3000 inhabitants of various other nationalities; The Italian claim, apart from the naval claim already mentioned, is based on the ground that without Sushak, (a suburb containing about 12,000 northern Slavs out of a population of 13,000), Fiume is inhabited by a majority of English speaking inhabitants. The Croats, and on their behalf the new Serb-Croat-Slo-yene Government, claim Fiume as a southern Slav port, on the ground that it is the only outlet at present available for Strbian and southern Slav traffic towards the sea. In fact, the only normal guago railways that connect the Eastern Adriatic with Central and South-Eastern Europe run from Fiume to Trieste.

DANTZIG FOR POLKS . (Received this day at 12.25 p.m) PARIS, March 24. It is understood the Council of Ten have accepted the Polish Commission’s report entirely, thus recognising Dantzig* as a Polish port BERLIN THREATS. Received this dnv at 2 36 p.m.,) PARIS, -March 23. Berlin newspapers declared any attempt to land Polish forces from France at Dantzig wilt be forcibly resisted. Moreover, if Danzig is violently oceupifi'l German .delegates will not go to Versailles until the town is restored.

PACIFIC MANDATES. Received this day at 2.36 p.m.,)

PARIS, March 24th. THe discussion concerning the Pacific mandates, continues, for reasons at present unexplained. Messrs Hughes and Massey have accepted the British view that tlm Japanese must have similar .mandates for Carolines and Marshalls, r, Australia has south of the equator, 'file Japanese have been most insistent on the point and the British agree that a refusal would be invidious and unfair. These mandates will forbid fortifications, but permit a closed door regarding trade, immigration and other policies. The weakness in the caso for different mandates has been Samoa, which is not contiguous to New Zealand. It is therefore judged on all fours with the Carolines. Mr Hughes is fighting for one point of different. He wishes clauses relating to the junction of islands with mandatory countries, after a petition from j natives to be eliminated from the Samoan and Japanese mandates, but to •be retained in the New Guinea mandate on the ground of the extreme continguity of the latter islands to Australia, justifies this amount of difference in the mandates

NAURU ISLAND SETTLED, Received this day at 2.36 p.m ' PARIS, March 23. The problem of Nauru Island has been finally solved by Britain, Australia and New Zealand each requiring a one-third interest in the island, phosphates and resources.