GOING FORWARD,

Taranaki Daily News, 26 April 1922, Page 5

GOING FORWARD,

PROGRESS AT GENOA. NEARING OBJECTIVES. FIRMER PEACE SOUGHT. A SOUNDER EUROPE. By Telegraph—Press Asan.—Copyright. Received April 25, 5.5 p.m. London, April 24. 'Hie High Commissioner for Australia (Sir Joseph Cook), in an interview by the AustraEan Press Association at Genoa, said the conference had made good progress during the last fortnight, though there had been many interruptions and crises. Almost every day brought some surprise. “Europe is still nerve-racked, and the diplomatic machinery works cn the highest gear, the slightest intrusion causing trouble,” he added. “Besides, it is easy to put grit in the machinery, and it is to be feared that those who do not love the conference are inconveniently at large. It says much for the spirit of the conference that these obstacles have been moved firmly and promptly out of the way, but they take time, and try the temper and consume the energies of the principals.” Sir Joseph proceeded: “Nevertheless, the whole front moves forward, and already several supremely important objections are in sight. I would rather not specify them at the moment, further than to say that they promise a firmer and better peace, firmer and steadier exchanges and sounder business throughout Europe. It is essentially a business and not a talking conference. There is a little less limelight than on some previous occasions, but a more concentrated searchlight is thrown on things that really matter in the world’s life and progress.”—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

DOING GREAT WORK. GOOD RESULTS EXPECTED. MAKING WAR LESS LIKELY. Received April 25, 11.5 p.m. Genoa, April 24. Lord Birkenhead, attired m flannels and a yachting cap, addressed British and American newspaper men. He said everyone should bring a contribution, and not carping criticism to the conference. The three commissions were doing great work, which stultified the efforts of those who looked for the failure of the conference. He already saw reasons for hoping that the last war might conceivably be really the last. They must not regard the Bolsheviks as fools; if they were they would not have retained so long unchallenged the control of sp an area of country. The Hungarians denied that they had signed a treaty with Germany, but he believed there had been some discussions on the subject. Whatever views we had on the subject of Russian government, we mn«r recognise that it was a commonplace of international law* that every nation was entitled to its own form of government The first condition to reconstruction was to bring Russia under some kind of fundamental policy, so as to enable her to resume relations with other countries.

Lord Birkenhead added that he understood the economic commission had arrived at important recommendations regarding the prohibition of imports, which hitherto hampered trading. He regretted a section of the British Press had not written a single word to aid the conference. It would be a tragedy if if failed.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.