THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, JULY 8, 1907. NEW LIGHT ON THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8481, 8 July 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. MONDAY, JULY 8, 1907. NEW LIGHT ON THE PEACE CONFERENCE.

The St. Petersburg correspondent of the London Daily Telegraph, who always gives the impression of being particularly well-informed, gives for the first time what purports to be .the story of the origin of the Peace Conferences at The Hague. It was Easter, 1898, a time when storm clouds were visible everywhere on the political horizon. Germany and France had completed the costly work of supplying their armies with improved artillery, and Russia and Austria were faced with great expense for the same purpose. One day Count Muravieff, the Russian Foreign Minister, called on M. Witte, the Finance Minister, and showed him a document drawn up by General Kuropatkin, Minister for War. General Kuropatkin pointed out that to both Austria and . Russia the new artillery would be very expensive, and when they had it, they would stand to each other as before. He suggested, therefore, that an understanding j should be arrived at with Austria, whereby the necessity of going to all | this expense would be obviated. M. Witte declined to agree to the sug- ' gestion on two grounds—first, it was sure to be rejected by Austria, and then the Minister who made it and the Russian nation would be discredited; secondly, it would be taken as evidence that Russia's finances were in a bad way. But, suggested M. Witte, why not try to induce all the Powers to economise in military and naval expenditure? To lessen the enormous expenditure on armaments would be an ideal worthy of the ambition of the Czar. Count Muravieff reported the conversation to the Emperor. The next stage was a general council, at which General Kuropatkin's suggestion was formally negatived, and the draft submitted of the circular to the Powers on the subject of armaments. What happened after that is a matter of history. There might consequently have been no Hague Conference if General Kuropatkin had not worried about the new heavy guns, and proposed to get Austria to pair with Russia in dispensing with them. Again, there might have been no Hague Confer-

ence if M. Witte had simply accepted or rejected the War Minister's suggestions without * further comment.