Page 10 Advertisements Column 2

Taranaki Daily News, 17 May 1919, Page 10

The Italian claim to Frame, which is dividing the Allied conference in Paris at the moment, is an extension of the original claim, which covered Istria, but not Frame. Italy stands to annex the Trentino and the Julian Venetia and Trieste. She will receive Istria, including, of course, Pola. A year ago this would have more than satisfied her ambitions. It has already been explained that the conflict over Fiume is really a controversy on the question whether Fiume can be regarded by itself or whether the suburb of Susak must be included. In Fiume itself there are 24,000 Italians and 16,000 Slavs. Susak adds about a thousand Italians and 11,000 Slavs. The race question, however, cannot be solved on geographical lines. It has been pointed out that the Italians, in order to satisfy the demands of every Italian along the coast, would be obliged .to annex territory containing at least 700,000 Slavs, while the Jugo-Slavs, in order to unite all their kinsmen to the new State. wo»M have to annex not less than 350,000 Italian Irredenta, and, in addition, a corner of the Kingdom of Italy, containing 30,000 Sl&v-speaking FriuUans. Obviously, the best that can be done is to strike an average, and Piume, on broad economic grounds, would then be assigned to the Serbo-Dalmatmn-Croatian State, of which it would be the cbief port. The Italians, however, are pressing for the whole loaf, and to far have declined even to consider the proposal that Piume should be made a free port,.under the League oi Nations.