MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 February 1918, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

THE SOCIALIST CONFERENCE. LABOR'S AIMS ACCEPTED. J | iOCEEDTNG.S REVIEWED BY ■HENDERSON. London, Pel) 24. The inter-Allied Socialist Conference lias ended. It reached complete agree mnt on war aims, and is Inking step: to notify its decisions to the Socialist parties in the Ceutral Umpires and isending a deputation to confer witli ■President Wilson and Mr. Gompcrs. At the farewell ' lunehedn Mr. Render son, presiding, expressed gmtifioutior that the conference had accepted British Labor's war aims, cabled on December 17. The conference had , decided, for llu absolute freedom and integrity of Bel gium, Serbia, Roumania, and Jlonte negro, that every territorial change b( based on justice and right, making foi the permanence of the world's peace. ''These,'' said Mr. Tleinbrson, "are oui irreducible minima- When they are secured we desire to begin the fullest in tercourse with all nations. We repudi ale every attempt to institute an neon omie boycott or the commercial and financial isolation of Germany. "The conflict can only -be ended ir three ways,, namely, by'militarism, exhaustion, or conciliation. We are convinced that all the belligerents must eventually resort to conciliation. Nothing is further from the truth thin the allegation t'iiat Labor is only concerned in holding out the olive branch to tlu enemy. We will not negotiate with th( (ilive branch while the enemy hand hold? the sword. Both sides must be prepared to abandon militarism before a settle ment is possible." RESTORATION OF COLONIES, AN ACADKJIIC RESOLUTION. Renter Service. Received Feb. 2.j, 11.40 p.m. London, Feb. 24. The inter-Allied Socialist Conference's decisions included the following: That the return of the colonies -to their pre-war or such exchange and compensations which might be cflected, should not impede the making of peace. Those colonies that have been taken by conquest from any belligerent must be made the subject of special consideration at a peace tonfereneo, in which t the communities in their neighborhood will be entitled to take part. By a clause in the treaty of peace on this part, they must secure economic equality in such territories for the peoples of all nations, and thereby guarantee thtft none will he shut nut from legitimate access to raw materials and be prevented from disposing of their own produce, or deprived of their proper share in economic development. AUSTRALIAN ESCAPEES. FROM GERMAN PRISON AN EXCITING STORY. London, Feb, 24. Choate and Pitts, the story of whose escape from Germany was cabled on the 12th inst, belonged to a working party of forty prisoners, near Dus?eldorff, It included seven overseas prisoners, six of whom attepmtod to escape, and fl,ve of whom succeeded. One has since le'en repatriated. Choate copied ft fellow prisoner's rough map of the district from Dusseldorff to the Dutch frontier, showing towns, waterways and railways, and ho studied the stars nightly for two months by the aid of a stellar map, which he picked up for guidance in night travelling to the frontier. The. six en' caped simultaneously in September. Climbing down a lightning rod at the prison. t)iey divided into two parties, and slept in the woods in the day time. Choate's party were awakened one afternoon by a gunshot and falling leaves, and saw a sportsman who missed his bird over their heads- The bird, if shot, would have fallen on their hiding place, resulting in their discovery. The party suffered severely from thirst. The brooks were dry. as it was the end of summer. They were captured the third night within a mile of the frontier. They ran into the arms of the'' sentry, who said 'lie had been awaiting them. Civilians surrounded the party and necessitated the abandonment of the Idea of overpowering the sentry. The other party crossed the frontier Bafely. Choate and Pitts made their second attempt in December. They got through an Sin- aperture and the barred window of the prison, and climbed down 40 feet by the aid of a rope which had been secreted. They saw a married prison sentry making love to a girl. The sentry, desiring not to be observed, turned his face away on bearing footsteps. Choate in passing brushed the Bentry's arm. The escapees followed t'he same route as on the previous attempt. They hid in a roadside ditch for three hours on the second night awaiting the end of a soldier's prolonged goodnight to his sweetheart- It rained almost incessantly during the three days they were escaping. They became aware that they were nearing the frontier the third night, owing to the distant barking of dogs in Holland. There are no dogs in Germany, all having 'been eaten or killed off owing to the food shortage. They crossed the frontier at daybreak while it was raining 'heavily, so that the sentries were unable to see more than a few yards. DECORATIONS FOR NEW ZEALANDERS. ,Aus. and N.Z- C'«ble Assoc. and Reuter. Received Feb. 25, &5 p.tn. London, Feb. 24. A second tor to the Military Medal lias been awarded to J. Matthews ami the following New Ze&landers: Sergeants W. N. Thorn, W. H. Burrows, J. T. Gearside, J. Scott; Sapper T. E. LiimeyWoods, Cw-poral G. H. Bager, and Private T. J. Parsons. Military medals have been awarded to 34 New Zealandere-