The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1919 THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

Taihape Daily Times, 7 February 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1919 THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

(With which is incorporated The f &!• hape Post end WalKWho News).

The utter unreliability of most of the reputed news coming to New Zealand having connection with Peace Conference deliberations, has rendered it difficult to get anything approaching a clear understanding of what has actually been accomplished. It was obvious that newspaper correspondents in France, as well as in London iand New York, were guessing about what was to eventuate and each seems to have used tho cables his own particular version to " the nethermost ends of the earth as the decision tho Conference had arrived .at. Even at the present time nothing of vital importance respecting the world’s future has been finally agreed upon excepting, perhaps, that Germany is never to regain possession of her erstwhile Colonial empire. In its greed Hunland grabbed more ofb the earth’s surface than it could assimilate : and it • has been forced to disgorge the whole lot, not an acre is left to it. If the proposed League of Nations, the principle .of which has been agreed upon, is finally established these colonies will be placed under the direct control of the Allied peoples whose development general policy and future safety might be endangered under any other arrangements, but the League of Nations is to have the final supervision of all such captured territory. There is to be no annexation anywhere; no belliger-

cut is to add one foot of territory to its empire by capture or by virtue of the war, but mandatories will be issued by the League of .Nations giving those Allied countries most interested control of that territory that is essential they should occupy in their own self-interests. The two annexationists that appoar to have made the atmosphere of Versailles a little over-warm on occasions are Australasian delegates. Mr. Hughes, the labour man of Australia is chagrined that his determination to annex New Guinea and adjacent islands did not find favour with other delegates, and Mr Massey was so immodest and insistent in his demands for the annexation of Samoa by New Zealand that President Wilson found it necessary to administer a deliberate snub. Mia. Wilson drew Mr Massey’s attention to the fact that America was interested in the Pacific; virtually that Samoa was an island in the Pacific with New Zealand on one side and America on the other, and that America was going to exercise that right regarding Samoa, its proximity entitled it to; that America would see that Samoa did not fall into the possession of any people who were likely to use it for purposes of aggression. Mr Massey’s reply was not reported, but ho probably saw the virtue . of silence at that moment. Without much

doubt the mandatory given to the New Zealand Government will be almost equal to ownership so long as the island is peacefully administered. and no audacious trading rights or disabilities are sought to be established to the detriment of other members of the League intimately interested. The African colonies taken from Germany are to be administered by their nearest? Allied neighbours, but all are subject to the League of Nations that is to be when details of its constitution have been evolved satisfying to iall parties, the holders are merely trustees answerable to the League. One thing is certain and that is that the Allied and Associated Powers tare absolutely opposed to the restoration of the German colonics to Germany. Armenia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Palestine and Araoia are to be completely cut out of the Turkish Empire and are to be placed under the tutelage of more civilised nations. There are to be condition? respecting Africa guaranteeing prohibition of such abuses as slave trade, traffic in arms, traffic in liquor and the militarising of native races, but, at present, the whole question of mandatories has to be decided upon. The two main features of the League constitution now being discussed are whether big and little nations shall Bsa.ve equal.

representation, and whether disputes between nations shall be decided by arbitration or whether they shall be decided by the Executive of the League of Nations sitting as a tribunal. It seems that an agreement upon., these two important subjects will render the successful launching of the greatest and most comprehensive political machinery the world liras any cognisance of; this inauguration of a “parliament of man ’ ’ and “federation of the world,’’ an unopposed accomplishable '■unction. Once such a League is in being it will do much to remove the fear of war, and already such matters as limitation of armaments, control of the seas, policing system to be adopted by the League, are in a forward state of evolution. Any nation committing an unauthorised aggressive act automatically places itself at war with the League and will be dealt with in accordance with the League’s , constitution. But whatever progress has been made in respect to limitation of armaments it is significant that President Wilson is determined that America’s three years’ naval construction programme shall be pressed to a decision in the United Stales Congress, and this may be taken as an indication that he realises there may be, for sometime yet to come, need, on a large, powerful scale, for drastic education of recalcitrant nations. When the category of free nations recognised by the League is completed neither militarism, bolshevism of tany other ism will go scathless if it disturbs the peace of its neighbours. While yet an overwhelming majority of the world views with alarm the encroachments of militarism and bolshevism, America, as an important member of the League, seems determined to crush out those curses on mankind, and President Wilson evidently feels that the sum total of his three years’ naval construction scheme may be required. Although the Peace Conference lias not completed much it has a very considerable mass of very important work in a satisfactorily forward and promising state; sufficiently forward for the designs and patterns to be traceable with comparative case and certainty. It is already obvious that ia breach of the' peace of the world by any people will not be tolerated; should any nation become a seething mass of ungovernable and chaotic revolt, such as Russia, is at this moment, it is plain that if such a country is likely to injure others by its impotenCy to control it will be brought to a condition of sanity by a strict, persistent blockade'; it will be cut off from association with other nations commercially and otherwise. The orgies of blood, rapine and rape of militarism and bolshevism arc to be comfined to internecine proportions if they .are not to bo stamped out completely. In fact, limitation of armaments may go so far as to render . armed force amongst the subjects of any nation, a negligible quantity. ,It is hardly thinkable that the Parliament of Man, the principle of which has been endorsed, and the constitution of which is now being evolved, will adopt machinery that cannot enforce peace of every character, nationally and internationally.