THE NEUTRAL NEIGHBOURS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume IX, Issue 742, 3 February 1915, Page 5

THE NEUTRAL NEIGHBOURS.

ITALY AND RUMANIA. PREPARING TO ENTER WAR. London, Monday. Mr Martin Donohue, special correspondent for the Chronicle, states that Rumania haß set her hand to the plough, and will not turn back. She is steadily preparing for an effective entrance into the war. Public opinion in Rumania favours the Allies, and the blotting out of local political animosities. The Rome section of Socialists oppose Italy participating in the war. A small minority wished to bring about a general strike in the event of mobilisation, but Signor Turati delivered an anti-German speech, declaring that if intervention were necessary the Sociailsts would fight. The patriotic majority of Italians are prepared to risk the expulsion of party in order to help the country. Received Tuesday, 7.30 p.m. Sydney, Tuesday.

The Italian newspaper Oceania, published in Sydney, says on the strength, of private information from a person occupying a very high official position in Italy, it can declare that Italy will certainly take the field againßt Austria in April. In fact, the first line, numbering a million and aquarter men, are already under arms. The source of the information leaves no possible doubt as to its accuracy. It must be distinctly understood that if Italy goes to war, not altogether as an ally of England, or Prance, or Russia, but mostly for her own advantage and in protection of her own rights. If she fails, she fails by herself. If she conquers, she conquers by herself; thus to help the Allies she strikes for her lost provinces in particular, and the maintenance of her political position in general. She also strikes for the liberty of Europe from Germanic tyranny, which would be fatal to those idealß of liberalism which Italy shares with all western Powers.

SWITZERLAND'S DETERMINATION. REMAIN NEUTRAL. London, Monday. A correspondent interviewed the President of Switzerland, who said: — "Our neutrality is forced upon us by our position, which is threefold in effect —political, financial, and economic. There is only one voice in Switzerland from Cicino to Geneva, and that voice saya, 'We shall defend our neutrality.' "