AUSTRO-GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 January 1918, Page 5

AUSTRO-GERMANY.

A MINISTER CRIES "HALT!" THE KAISER WARNED. TO DROP OFFENSIVE DEVELOPMENTS. United Service. Received Jan. 29, I.3f> a.m. London, Jan. 28. Berlin newspapers startllngly announce that Count von Rodern, Minister to the Treasury, has sent a memorandum to the Kaiser, warning him that the ro ldition of the nation renders further developments of the offensive inadvisable. Other influential authorities a: • trying to induce him to check operations The iron rule. I ALL MEETINGS PROHIBITED. Received Jan. 28, 8.55 p.m. Berne, Jan. 27. Oiving to political excitement, all 1 meetings have been prohibited in Germany, I AUSTRIAN WAR AIM*. - DIFFERENT To GERMANY'S STATEMENT BY COUNT CZERNIN. Received Jan. 28, 8.55 p.m. Amsterdam, Jail. 27. . Coiifit Ozernin has informed Austrian delegations that the text of Ills speech wfcs forwarded to President Wilson befrife its delivery. He refused to discuss with the delegations Germany's internal affairs, tout frankly referred to the differences between Austrian And German war Sims. Germany, lie said, possessed extensive colonies which she had to fight to, get back, therefore Germany would not consent to abandon the occupied territories in Europe without guarantees for the restitution of the colonies. Austria Was differently situated, and was standing everywhere on enemy territory, except in eastern Gaiicia.

More trouble in Berlin. 8000 soLdters confixed to BARRACKS. Zurich. Jan. 27. Two tomdreS invalided, soldiers who interrupted a meeting of tie Fatherland Party in Berlin werft arrested. Tli'e news of the arrest) caused Indiana tiofi among tiie garfisen, culminating in a meeting at Friedrichsdorf, near Berlin. As a resnit 8000 men were confined to bafraoks and the ringleaders imprisonel . THE BUDAPEST STRIKE. ELABORATE MILITARY MEASURES. Amsterdam, Jan. 27. Trip Berliner Tageblatt states? that the gefteral strike Hi Budapest commenced on the morning of the 18tli. Bosnian soldiers frith nMw?hiiie-<*an.s surrounded the inner city add strongly occupied all the bridges. The strikers wasged in the outer portions of the eapital, but were not allowed to enter the Inner city. Street traffic was entirely suspended and the shop; closed. Thirty members of the Laborers', Soltilers', and Students' Union were arrested before the strike. RESTIVENESS OF SLAVS. AUSTRIAN UPHEAVAL BECOMES SERIOUS. Received Jan. 2ff, 1.30 a.m. Washington, Jan. 28. The State Department has been advised that thefe is increased restiveness Ufaong the Slav population of Austria, particularly the Czeehs. The Atfstfiim upheavals are assuming serious proportions. NEW HUNGARIAN CABINET. A NATIONAL ARMY TO BE FORMED. Renter Service. Received Jan. 28, 8.33 p.m. London, Jan. 27. A new Hungarian Cabinet has been formed, with Efr. Wekerle a? Premier. A Budapest telegram states that the Kiftg has sanctioned a new Government firogiP&ilime, comprising the formation o. ii national Hungarian army and the drawing up of a new Aitstro-Hungarian eommefclal treaty. soviet organisations formed. Petftig'rad, Jaii. 27. Bolshevik newspapers state that there ate great demonstration's' over the whole of Austria-Hungary. Soviet organisations havo beeft formed in Vienna and Budapest and a big strike hits begun at Warsaw. A STEP TOWARDS PEACE-. New York, Jan. 2t. A United Press telegram from Rome reports that the Tatican regards Count Czernin's speech as a positive step towards peace.

FROM GRAVE TO GAY, CHANGE IN KAISER'S MOOD. HOPES TO MARCH ON LONDON. Received Jan. 29, 12.30 a.m. Paris, Jan. 28. A correspondent of Le Humanite, in Switzerland, who recently paw tl:e Kaiser at Berlin, says that the military clique have convinced him that Germany's situation is excellent. The Kaiser, who was recently silent and melancholy, is now noisy again and talks incessantly: Me believes the Germans will still march on London. The acceptance of peace pourparlers by the Bolsheviks brought b.-i-k his old dreams. HUNGARY AND AUSTRIA. | AT DAGGERS DRAWN NEW DECLARATION OF WAR. | The speeches of Slavonic and Czech deputies ill the Austrian Parliament, which have been described by Hungarian newspapers as "incitements to destroy the integrity of Hungarian territory," have brought about a curious situation between the two halves of the Dual Monarchy. I Speeches were made in the Austrian Reichstrath on November 10 by Dr. Korosec, a Slovena member, M. Stanek, a Czech, and M. Zenker, an Austro-German Liberal, that is, by representatives ofl almost all parties, demanding that Hun-1 Igary should give up her Slovene counties to Bohemia and her southern counties to the Jugoslavs. This event has evoked some extraordinary leading articles in the Hungarian newspapers, the' most characteristic of which is the following, taken from the subsidised Government organ, Az Est, which formerly was in close touch with the Tisza Cabinet, and now supports the present Government.

"A new declaration of war has reached us in this fourth year of warfare," it begins. "Austria has declared war on Hungary. That country, which owes it entirely to Hungary that her enemies have not torn Iter to pieces like an old fag, now hastens to express her gratitude in her Parliament, by demanding unanimously, without even a division, the disintegration of our counti'y."

After this remarkable introduction, which was passed by the censor, and therefore mitst be taken to be approved by the Government, Az Est continues in a still more bitter strain: "Never has a nation waste dher resources—human, material and financial—in a less deserving cause than we have. Never have politicians made a graver mistake than those who said that we can only live and prosper in union with Austria. Rakoczi and Kossuth were right when they said that Austria was Hungary's evil spirit, the vampire that sucks our blood. Of all the misfortunes that have befallen us up to now the greatest is Austria. The Turk, the Tartar, the Serbian, the Roumanian", and the Russian all came against us openly, with sword unsheathed, but Austria has always attacked us covertly, disguised as our friend. Now the mask has fallen for ever from this obstinate foe, and we see her face distorted with villainy and a brutal lust for our blood. "The greedy villainy of Austria has been reflected in her economic policy fov some decades past. It prevented us from developing our industries and our commerce, and from improving our railways and canals; it did its best to give us r. bad name in other countries, and even planted suspicion in the heart of our King against us; and now, in the fourth year of war, Austria deems <is so weak and broken that the sly eiiemy take 3 courage and openly draws the sword. But Austrian stupidity has made a great mistake. There is still strength enough in our arms to wield the sword against Austria. "Our answer to the Austrian demand is this: Let us break with Austria. This should be engraved on the heart of every Hungarian of whatever rank, from the Prime Minister to the humblest peasant. We do not desire, and are resolved not to live in union or any form of dualism with our worst foe. We shall settle our account with our enemies in Austria l , and they will mourn over that settlement for centuries to come."