RUSSIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 March 1918, Page 5

RUSSIA.

TEXT OF PEACE TERMS. CESSIONS BY RUSSIA, Reuter Service. Received March ~i, 7 40 p.m. Amsterdam, March 4. Berlin lias officially issued the text of the peace treaty between Germany, Austro-Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey on the one hand and Russia on the other. Article 1 stipulates that the contracting parties shall live henceforth in peace and friendship. Article 2 states that the contracting parties sha!! refrain from all agitation or provocation against the existence of the Government or State and shall spare the populations in the occupied regions. Article 3 provides that the regions lying west of the line agreed upon by the contracting parties, formerly .belonging to Russia, shall no longer be under Russian territory. This line in the west is to be fixed bv a mixed Russo-Gernnn commission. The regions in question will have no obligation whatever towards Russia arising from former relations. Russia refrains from all interference with the internal affairs of these territories, and is to allow Austria and Germany to determine their future fate in agreement with their populations. Article 4 stipulates that Austria and Germany will undertake, when a. general peace is concluded and Russian demobilisation has been fully curried out, to evacuate the regions east of the line in Article so far as Article (i does not stipulate otherwise. Russia will eomnletely evacuate the Anatolian provinces as soon as possible ami return these to Turkey. The districts of Erdehan, Batoum, and Knrs will likewise be evacuated by Russia without delay Russia will not interfere with the reorganisation of the constitutional and international conditions in theso districts, but leaves these to the populations thereof, in agreement with nei"laboring states, particularly Turkey. Received March i 1 p.m! Article 5 provids-s that Russia is not to delay to demobilise completely, including the newly-formed forces, and transfer warships to Russia harbors, leaving them there until a general peace is granted, or immediately disarm the warships hostile to the' quadruplice. These will be treated as Russian in so far as t'hey are within Russian control. The removal of mines in the Baltic and. in so far as the Russian power 'extends, in the Black Sea. shall he 7ie"-,m immediately. Commercial shipp:ng°dn these waters is to he immdciatclv r<>sumed. Mixed commissions will fix further regulations, especially as regards merchant ships' routes, which must be kept permanently free from floating mines. Article 0 provides that Russia undertakes immediately t 0 conclude peace with Ukraine and recognise the peace treaty between the. Ukraine and the quadruplice, evacuating Ukraine immediately and ceasing agitation or propaganda against the government and public institutions. Ukraine to be evacuated without delay, as well as Esthonia and Livonia. The eastern frontier of Esthonia will follow tho line vf the Narva river. Tho eastern frontier of Livonia runs through Lake Pripuu and Lake PskofF to tno south-west corner of Lake PskofT, tlience over Lake Luban in tho direction of Levensof on the Dvina. Esthonia and Livonia will be occupied by a German police force until security is guaranteed and order restored. Russia agrees to release all arrested Esthcmians and Uvonians. HOSTILITIES TO CEASE. RUSSIANS REMAIN IN PRESENT POSITIONS. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc. and Renter. Received March 5, S4O p.m. London, March 4. Wireless Russian Official: General Krylenko has ordered the Russians to cease hostilities, but to remain in their present positions. LENIN'S OBSESSION. COMING WORLD REVOLUTION". Petrograd, March 4. Lenin, who has definitely taken the leadership of tho Soviets, condemns the denunciation of the peace terms. He is obsessed with the one idea of the coming world revolution and the triumph of the proletariat. Meanwhile they must accept the German terms. The fears of a German attack and starvation are causing a great rush from Petrograd, especially of foreigners and Britishers, including the embassy officials and militarv mission who escaped with difficulty. The indescribable disorganisation on the railways is adding to the miseries of the refugees. It is reported that soldiers broke into the British Embassy prior to the evaluation land burned or confiscated documents. The officials protested to Trotsky, who replied that the Government had not ordered the outrage, and therefore was not responsible. ' THE EX-CZAR'S LOYALTY. Paris, March 4. Official documents confirm Sir George Buchanan's assertion that the ex-Czar would not have betrayed the Allies. An autograph letter to M. Poincaire in Apri\ 1310 has been published whicl/stated "I am frankly decided not to lay down arms except by a common agreement after a definite victory. Russia will recoil from no sacrifices to achieve the triumph of the Allies." A COMMANDER TO BE COURT- . MARTIALLED. Stockholm, March 4. General Mannerheim has decided to court-martial the Commander of the Finnish White Guards for capitulating and evacuating the Aaland Islands, contrary to orders. REMOVAL OP AMERICAN EMBASSY. Tokio, .March 4. The newspaper .Tiji Shimpo savs that the American Ambassador. Mr. Francis, is moving the Embassy from Petrograd to Vladivostock, i

HELSINGFORS TO BE DEFENDED. A GERMAN LANDING IMMINENT. Received l'eh. C, 1..10 a.m. Copenhagen, March S. Tho Altenbladet states that f>OGO Russian soldiers arrived at Helsingfors, where Germany's action caused a panic. The Red Guards decided to defend the town to the last. German squadrons have assembled at the entrance to the Gulf of Finland. A cruiser and three destroyers are reported to have arrived at Autrcft, southern Finland. Their activities indicate that a German landing is imminent. BRITISH EMBASSY AT HELSINGFORS. Reuter Service. Received March 0, 1.50 a.m. London, March 5. The British Embassy stall' from Petrograd has arrived at Helsingfors. CONGRESS OF SOVIETS. TO RATIFY PEACE. Petrograd, March 4. Aeroplane bombs fell in the neighborhood of Fontanka Chandel killing two and injuring eight persons. The Central Executive has summoned an extraordinary congress of the Soviet deputies to ratify the peace terms at Moscow on the 12t.1i. The people in ■t'etrograd are not aware how the peace terms affect northern Russia. They may possibly include political reconstruction in addition to territorial stipulations. THE PEACE FIASCO. A POST FACTO CONFERENCE. New York, March 4. The United Press Petrograd correspondent says that the peace treaty signed with Germany is regarded as a scrap of paper. Eutliusiasm for fighting is at the highest level here. The Petrograd Pan-Executive Council has called an extraordinary session of soldiers, peasants anil Cossacks at Moscow for March 12, to decide whether to accept or reject the peace. The Allied Consuls have arrived at Moscow from Kielf.