The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1919. THE ADRIATIC CRISIS.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 April 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1919. THE ADRIATIC CRISIS.

It was almost too much to expect that the Peace Conference would conclude its labors with out one or more of the many complex questions to be decided proving a storm centre. There have obviously been many extremely divergent views to bring into agreement on several occasions, notably as to claims by France and Japan, and at one time it seemed as if the Pacific problems would create a rift in the lute. The crisis, however, has arisen over the Adriatic claims, the stubborn attitude taken by President "Wilson and the Italian delegates resulting in the withdrawal of the latter from the Conference, at least for the time being, and until the Italian Parliament has made known its policy. The outstanding features of the present deadlock are the secret treaty, or Pact of London, made with Italy before she entered the war, the founding of a Jugo-Slav nation as the result of the breakup of the Dual Monarchy, and the application of a general doctrine to concrete circumstances. It has to be remembered that when the war broke out Italy was allied to the Central Powers but withdrew. To tempt her to remain neutral, Austria offered a large part of the Trentino Hud considerable concessions east of the lsonzo, but Italy wished her future frontiers to be the strongest, and set her heart upon a. portion of Dalmatia, and this reward Britain and the Allies agreed to readily if Italy entered the war against the Central Powers, which she did at the second great crisis of the struggle. At that time there was never a Juougiit about the dismemberment

of Austria or the formation of a southern Slav State, the idea being to remove the Slavs from Austrian tyranny and place them under Italian protection Although the treaty made by Britain with Italy was not divulged until some considerable time after it was made, it was none the less a solemn pact which Britain is bound to carry out to the letter unless Italy consents to a modification, and it is quite possible that had President Wilson refrained from pub lishing his manifesto before it had been formally communicated to the Italian Premier the crisis might have been avoided. As matters stand at present Italy insists on having possession of Piume, and part of Dalmatia, but President Wilson refuses to recognise the treaty on which Italy bases her claims, as he takes the stand that all treaties, so far as the Peace Conference is concerned, are in the melting pot, and the conference, by creating a League of Nations has set it 3 face against all annexations. In the face of these two conflicting obligations it is obviously necessary to find an acceptable solution of the diffi culty, and President Wilson by his impetuous act has increased rather than diminished the acuteness of the crisis. It is not surprising to find that the Italian people are feeling sore at Britain ?s lukewarm support of Italy, but that is because they do not realise how materially the circumstances have changed since the treaty with Italy was made, while they appear to forget that it was Britain and Prance who came to Italy's aid at a most critical time and stemmed the Austro-German invasion, also that by the Allied victory over the Central Powers, Italy has been able to recover her lost provinces. Apparently the Italian people and their peace delegates can only at the present time retain in their vision the port of Piume and the portion of Dalmatia on which their hearts are set, but a proposal has been put forward that Piume shall, like Danzig, be made a free port under a mandatory of the League of Nations. Having come so near to the termination of the labors of the Peace Conference there would seem to be need for the broader and most sympathetic statesmanship to be exercised in order that deliberations and decisions of the delegates shall bear good fruit. It may be that a storm was needed to clear th» atmosphere, but President Wilson should be the first to set a pacific and not a bellicose example. The object is to secure a permanent peace, so that the atmosphere at the Conference should be absolutely free from bluff, bluster or threats. It is the business of the delegates to find a solution for all the problems, and this duty necessarily entails a cohesive and pliant attitude. If explosions are to wreck the work of the Conference, what will be the fate of the League of Nations?