THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 April 1919, Page 5

THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

GERMANY'S FIRST PAYMENT. PRESIDENT WILSON'S DETERMINATION. ALLEGED ATTEMPTS AT BLACKMAIL. Paris, April !>. The Echo de Paris estimates Ormany's first reparatorv damages at 25,000 million francs (iflOO million Sterling) in cash and raw materials. New York, April 9.

The Tribune gays that President Wilson has authorised a statement that he intends to stand by his principles enunciated before the Allies accepted the armistice terms. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. Paris, April 7.

The Matin accused the Americans of attempting to blackmail France into acquiescing in the American viewpoint by spreading the story that President Wilson has decided that unless granted his own way, he will return immediately to the United States.—Reuter. DRAFTING THE TREATY. WORK NEARING COMPLETION.

Reeeived April 10, 7.40 p.m. Paris, April fl.

The work of drafting the treaty is progressing. The naval, military, and air terms are completed and finally approved. The terms prepared by the Waterways Commission, the labor eharter of the League of Nations, and a fiumber of territorial questions have already been drafted by the secretariat, but reqdire the formal approval of the plenipotentiaries. The questions which the Council of Four are still considering are likely to be completed this week, when an interval for drafting will ensue, during which Mr. Lloyd George will visit England and address the House of Commons on the eve Of EaSter, generally explaining the work of the conference. There will be no question of publishing terms before being submitted to the Germans. The plenary sitting considers the charter on Friday.

THE INDEMNITY, THOUSAND MILLIONS A YEAR. Received April 10, 7.40 p.m. London, April 9. It is believed the Financial Commission fixes the first two instalments of Germany's indemnity at one thousand million annually. The Reparation Commission has adopted the sub-committee's report dealing with Germany's capacity to pay. —Aus. N.Z. Cable Assoc. POLISH AND BOHEMIAN QUESTIONS 1 Retfeived April 10, 7.30 p.m. t FariS, April 9. Paderewski, pleading for Poland, said to an interviewer that without Danzig Poland would become an empty shell. If, Teschen were lost Poland's industries would be crippled for want of coal. On the other hand, Kramarez, in an interview, insists that the Czechs need Teschen's coal. He says the Poles have atnpie coal in Silesia. If the Czechs' faith in the Allies is destroyed Bolshevism would sceize the Czech working classes. FRENCH DEMAND FOR SAAR VALLEY. New York, April 29. The Paris correspondent of the New York Times learns that M. Clemenceau demanded the annexation of the Saar Valley in the reparation claims, his view being that it would be payment in kind for the devastated mining regions of France.

The United States and Britain oppos ed the scheme. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.