Peace Conference.

Taihape Daily Times, 9 January 1919, Page 5

Peace Conference.

GREECE AND SERBIAN DELEGATES. Received 9.40 a.m. PARIS, Jan. 7. Le Temps states tliat Greece and Serbia will each have' two delegates at the Peace Conference, Venizclos and Politis for Greece, Wachito (Serbian Premier) and Trumbitch (President of the Jugoslav Committee in Paris), for the Jugo-Slavs. BRITISH AND FRENCH SPHERES OF INTEREST.

IN THE FAR EAST

Received 9.40 a.m.

PARIS, January 8,

Supervision of affairs in Mesopotamia after the conclusion of peace will be assigned to Britain by a treaty concluded early in the war between France and England concerning the future of Asia Minor. The existence of the treaty has just been revealed. It provides that France shall control Syria.. Lebanon, Armenia Asia Minor, Palestine, and the Arabian Peninsula generally will be under the supervision of Britain, who has assured that the utmost possible autonomy will be afforded to the peoples of these countries. What action the Peace Conference may take regarding this and other secret treaties is beingmuch discussed.

ALL GOES WELL. BRITAIN’S SILENT DETERMINATION. BROAD OUTLINE OF PROGRAMME Received 9.35 a.m. LONDON, Jan. 8. Mr Perris, writing from Paris, says things are going well with the Peace Conferen.ee. An extraordinarily warm reception was given to Mr Wilson by the public, and the quiet, kindly, but definite resolution of the British Government has overcome the danger that Europe will revert to old-fashioned militarism. European statesmen have come up against the American brain working on the direct disease of world politics. The results will be revolutionary, but a happy change would have been impossible without the energetic sympathy of the British Government. The chiefs of the British Foreign Office came to Paris with definite plans of a farreaching character, which they have been elaborating for a year. Lloyd George is not afraid to challenge the old-fashioned militarist methods. It is practically certain that the Allies and America are determined to establish a world-trusteeship for the smaller nationalities. The Allies will also establish a world executive to solve future international differences without war. Under the scheme parts of Turkey or the German colonies may be transferred to a certain Power as mandatory under supervision of an International Board. The Peace Conference will base itself upon the declared intention to found a League of Nations to carry on such work begun by the conference. The British idea is that the League should be a businesslike body, elastic in constitution, and using such precedents as the Imperial Cabinet and the Versailles Conference. The League must have the means of enforcing its decisions and courts of law to deal with disputes. Such is the broad outline of the chief of the schemes thus far euggesed.

HARD AT WORK PREPARING DATA. PROBLEM OF NAVAL SECURITY] • IMPORTANT ECONOMIC ' QUESTIONS. Received noon. LONDON, January 8. Newspapers in France and Britain arc discussing Ulie aspects of the Peace Conference. The secretaries of various delegations are already hard at work arranging data for the delegates to meet at Quai d’Orsay. The problem of naval security is an outstanding one from the British standpoint. The general belief is that there is now harmony of view between British and Americans regarding British naval supremacy.

The Figaro expresses satisfaction, as it is impossible for France to maintain a large navy in addition to army. She must confide to the British. fleet the responsibility of her protection at sea. The Figaro adds; Though the pro-German elements in America are the noisiest, demanding the greatest extension of the American fleet, they are not in a majority. Another matter of supreme importance is the handling of Allied resources, goods, ships, money, and particularly the distribution of raw materials and a plan of preference for the Allies. A now Allied economic council has been formed to allocate tonnage, food, and raw materials to

friendly and enemy countries alike. The Economic Council will bo affiliated with the Peace Conference, and may finally become the foundation of an economic scheme for the League of Nations.

Leading Allied bankers and merchants now oppose the popular demand that all raw materials should bo refused to enemy countries. They consider such a boycott economically unsound, as it would prevent, the Cent rial) Powers paying the cost of the war.