WORLD PACIFICATION.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 41, 17 January 1938, Page 7

WORLD PACIFICATION.

M. VAN ZEELAND’S PLAN. RUSSIAN PAPER’S VERSION. MOSCOW, Jan. 4. The Pravda, the organ of the Russian Communist Party, is suspicious beforehand of the peace plan to be presented by the former Prune Minister of Belgium, M. van Zeeland, who, at the instance of Britain and France, has been investigating the prospects of pacification through freer world trade. .... i The newspaper, claiming to reveal M van Zeeland’s plan, says its four main points are : (1) The Bank for International Settlements to establish a special fund for subsidising raw material purchases by Italy, Germany, Japan and Poland. (2) Companies to be established for the purpose of allowing Germany to share in the exploitation of colonies without recovering her own colonial territories. (3) A special body to be set up for the solution of international problems, with both League and non-League Powers as mem tiers. (4) .Complete secrecy during preliminary negotiations between the two groups, Italy-Germany and Britain-America-France, other nations joining in if the preliminary talks are successful. The Pravda considers the first point to be a screen for loans to Italy and Germany. The third, it says, creates an organ outside the League for the undermining of the League. The exclusion of the Soviet is described as dictated by the fear that Moscow would impede the discussions by insisting upon Italian and German guarantees in return for economic concessions.