THE RUMANES OF HUNGARY.

Taihape Daily Times, 21 March 1919, Page 3

THE RUMANES OF HUNGARY.

Details ane now to hand of the decisions taken at a national conference of Rumanians of Transylvania and the countries of Hungary la.t Albt Julia. The Grand National Rumanian Council was constituted of 200 members, of whom 20 were Socialists and .10 delegates of the Army. An executive committee was formed with M. Juliu Maniu as president, and its members took an oath of fidelitfy to the constitution of the Kingdom of Rumania, The seat of Government is at Sibiu (Hermannstadt), where it has been installed since December 4. The following national programme was unanimously voted: —(J) Th« National Assembly of Rumanians of Transylvania, Hungary, and the Banat declare the union of all Rumanians with the Kingdom. It affirms their imprescriptible rights over the whole territory of th'j Banat. comprised between the 'rivers Marios, Theiss. and the. Danube. It grants the inhabitants of the said territories provisional autonomy till a Constituent Assembly, elected by universal suffrage, shall tabj a definite decision. (2) The political principles of Rumanian national unity are: —(a) Full national liberty for all nationalities inhabiting the territories >of the union. Each of these nationalities shall be free to govern itself, with its own language, its own administration and justice. The officials b': v elected from its midst. l-hieh nationality has the right to be rcp'resented in the legislative bodies. In th.e government of the country they shall be represented proportionately to their number, (b) All confessions shall have

equal rights and receive autonomy. (c) In every domain of public life there shall be democratic government. Each citizen ion reaching thle age of 21 shall have au equal and secret right to vote. Women shall have the same rights, (d) Complete liberty of the Press, of meeting, and of association. Each can propagate thought fively. (e) Radical agrarian reform. All estates, .(especially big estates, shall be conscribed. On the basis of this conscription the right of entail shall become extinct. The Latifundia shall be reduced, and facilities giv'en to small peasants to obtain land which they can cultivate with the members of their families. The guiding principle is equalisation iof social levels and the growth of production. To industrial workers shall boassul'ed all rights enjoyed by the wioxkers in the civilised countries of the West.