DANGERS OF CONFLICT

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 May 1938, Page 8

DANGERS OF CONFLICT

TWO MORE ELECTION SUNDAYS BELIEF THAT GERMANY GAVE WAY. COURAGEOUS STAND MADE BY CZECHS. (Recd This Day, 12.10 p.m.) LONDON, May 23. The Australian Associated Press say. 7 relief was evident in /the House oi Commons after Mr Chamberlain’s statement. Nevertheless uncertainty must remain, especially as the Czechoslovakian election, continuing for two Sundays, will embrace some of the most fervent Sudeten towns. The danger remains of the possibility of further troop movements or incidents provoking a conflict. Britain has firmly told both sides in Czechoslovakia, in addition to Berlin, that it is to their interests to see that nothing occurs to precipitate war. It appears that Germany’s response to earlier approaches, urging restraint, was very cool, but the latest trend of events —particularly Britain’s firmness and France’s steadiness —seem to have calmed Germany. Moreover, whereas the tendency on Saturday was to a provacative moving of troops, the attitudes on all sides now appear to be' more moderate. The- immediate task is to restore a sense of proportion between Dr Hodza and Herr Henlein and to establish a reasonable basis of negotiation. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Munich correspondent says Herr Hitler suddenly changed plans to prolong his holiday in Munich and entrained for Berlin, to hold a special meeting with his advisers. His hasty departure has occasioned serious apprehension that the situation has become worse. The “Daily Telegraph’s”' Prague correspondent states that it is now possible to say that when the Czechoslovak Cabinet met on May 20, reports left no doubts that Germany was planning another weekend coup d’etat on the lines of the Austrian. The courageous action of the Czechs in manning their defences, without excitement but with clockwork precision combined with diplomatic support from abroad, proved a successful deterrent. It is reliably estimated that the number of men still under arms is 400,000. EXTENDED TALK DR. HODZA AND SUDETEN LEADER CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC REPORTS (Recd This Day, 12.55 p.m.) LONDON, May 23. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Prague cor- , respondent says the Premier (Dr Hodza), and Herr Henlein conferred for nearly three hours. Sudeten circles state that the conversations, were “not favourable,” and the purpose of the conversations is to clarify and tranquillise the situation. The Government issued a communique in identical terms with the Sudeten statement. It is understood that the conversations are being continued tomorrow. It is reported that Dr Hozda submitted a draft statute applying all the nonCzechoslovak nationalities, granting full local autonomy, but refusing to sanction anything which would enable a

Nazi majority to tyrannise over a nonNazi German minority. The feeling in Government quarters is that the future must depend on Ger'many’s decisions. The “Daily Telegraph’s” Berlin correspondent says it is stated in Berlin .that nothing less than full autonomy for the Sudeten Germans can be regarded as an adequate concession. Only the most optimistic expect more than a postponement of the crisis. The “Times’s” Berlin correspondent states that the German view is that the situation has not improved, but has become worse.