PEACE MOVE IN BOLIVIA

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1929, Page 7

PEACE MOVE IN BOLIVIA

BOTH SIDES AGREE TO ARBITRATE. NEW YORK, Doc. 20. The United States 'Government heaved a sigh of relief when Bolivia accepted the Bonn offices of the PanAmerican Conference, now in session at Washington, in its effort to settle the quarrel with Paraguay. The special committee of live appointed by the conference will now prepare plans for peace and will have a definite basis'upon which to work, for Paraguay yesterday decided to accept the conference’s offer of mediation. Orders have been issued by the two Governments for lighting to cease huh for war preparations to continue, '.'-he first step of !he conference will be to bring these to a halt, in anticipation of a concrete plan for arbitration. If ail proceeds smoothly the United States Government will have the great satisfaction of feeling that a crisis has been avoided wihout direct interference by the State Department. Mr Kellogg, as chairman of the Pan-Ame-rican conference has been able to retire gracefully behind that body icpresontative of all the Americas. There arc many congratulations to-day that South American susceptibilities cannot have been irritated by the course adoptcal by the United States Government. INSKCT-ltl DDBN I .AND. Tnore is 'considerable wonderment why Bolivia and Paraguay should wish to fight about a country so desolate and insect-ridden as La Chaco. It is described as a Pandora Box ol all pests and scourges of nature. But close observers of Lalin-Ameri-cau affairs point out that previous losses of land have seriously disturbed the tw.o nati'ms. The Paraguayans remember their disastrous war oi ISG4 70, when they fought alone against three powerful neighbours and suflercd a drop in pjioulation from more than 1,000,000 to fewer than 300,000. Paraguay, it is said, has never recovered from that war. Bolivia, too, lost her rich seaboard in the war against Chile. Historians hn\e described this loss as disatorous and observers point out that the two peoples of Bolivia and Paraguay are eager to retain every inch ol territory 1.0 which they can lay claim.