Semi-official French announcements of the conditions to be laid down in the treaty of peace are denounced by the German press.

Prince Lichnowsky, in an article in the Tageblatt, says that France "forgets that, instead of leading to disarmament, an unjustly extorted peace will bring forth only fresh armaments, throwing into the shade all former armaments, because a mailed-fist peace can be maintained only by the mailed fist."

Declaring that a peace of violence must be absolutely rejected, he concludes:

"Nobody can recommence the war against us. Neither can we be starved out, without the common enemy, communism and terrorism, throwing all mankind back into its primitive state."

Vorwärts says:

"No German Government can sign such terms. The entente statesmen must themselves settle with the inhabitants of the Sarre Valley, who are thoroughly German, and they may find that the sums proposed as indemnity cannot be extracted, even if the last sheet is taken from our beds." The Lokal-Anzeiger says:

No more shameless mockery of President Wilson's fourteen points' can be imagined than the proposed solution of the eastern question."– N. Y. Times, 16/4.

ITALY PRESSES FIUME ISSUE.-As early as March 21 it was reported that the Italian delegation had threatened to withdraw from the Peace Conference unless Fiume were assigned to Italy contemporaneously with the conclusion of peace. This threat may have had some influence upon the decision of the associated powers to incorporate the terms to all belligerents in a single treaty.

The Adriatic question was not finally taken up, however, until April 18-19, when Baron Sonnino, who signed the Treaty of London upon the fulfilment of which Italy insisted, presented the Italian claims. Following a decision of the Council of Premiers against Italy, the Italian delegates withdrew from the Peace Conference. President Wilson issued a statement justifying his position on the question.

LEAGUE OF NATIONS COVENANT COMPLETED

MONROE DOCTRINE AMENDMENT ADOPTED.-After long debate, and in response to insistent pressure from the United States, the following amendment recognizing the Monroe Doctrine was inserted in the League of Nations Covenant on April 10:

Article, X.-A-Nothing in this covenant shall be deemed to affect the validity of international engagements, such as treaties of arbitration or regional understandings like the Monroe Doctrine, for securing the maintenance of peace.

RACE EQUALITY AMENDMENT DEFEATED.-An amendment to the League Covenant presented by the Japanese members of the drafting committee. and providing recognition of the principle of racial equality, was defeated in the committee, II members voting in favor and 6 against it, whereas unanimous consent was required. The Japanese reserved the right to raise the question again in plenary sessions of the Conference.

GENEVA TO BE SEAT OF LEAGUE.-Geneva was selected as the permanent seat of the League of Nations by a vote of 12 to 6, France with two votes, and China, Czechoslovakia, Portugal, and Belgium voting in favor of Brussels. The choice was influenced by a speech from President Wilson favoring Geneva as more indubitably neutral than Brussels.

EX-KAISER TO BE PLACED ON TRIAL.-On April 9 the Council of Four came to the decision that the former Kaiser should be indicted and brought to trial on charges of violation of international morality and violation of the sanctity of treaties. These offenses were considered political rather than legal; and in the Responsibility Commission, which investigated the question, Secretary Lansing objected to prosecution on the ground that the charges would not bear legal scrutiny and that a sovereign could not be held legally responsible for his actions. The indictment signed by the four premiers provided for trial by a special court for violations of international morality.

INDEMNITY QUESTION SETTLED

The following Associated Press despatch gives a summary of the indemnity provisions decided upon by the Peace Conference. It will be noted that the sum mentioned, $23,800,000,000, is a mininum, the indemnity commission having power to increase the amount "to the utmost of Germany's capacity to pay, within the limitation of her indebtedness." Some dissatisfaction was caused by the tentative allotment of the indemnity giving France about 55 per cent, Great Britain from 20 to 30 per cent, and only 25 to 15 per cent to the smaller Allied States. The press summary follows:

One hundred billion gold marks ($23,800,000,000), is the amount Germany must pay the allied and associated governments for losses and damage caused in the war, plus other billions to be determined by a special commission on which Germany is to be represented. The payment of 100,000,000,000 gold marks is to be divided into three distinct amounts as follows: First-Twenty billions within two years.

Second-Forty billions during thirty years beginning in 1921.

Third-Forty billions when a commission shall determine how it shall be done.

An authoritative statement was obtained to-day concerning the final terms of the settlements. This sums up the conditions as follows:

Germany is at the outset held generally responsible for losses and damages in accordance with President Wilson's fourteen points and the Allied response at the time the armistice was concluded. To determine the extent of the payment under this responsibility a commission is set up to take testimony, assemble data, and arrange all details of the payment from the enemy and distribution among the allied and associated powers. While the commission will administer the details of the payments, sufficient is known to permit the determination that an initial payment will be required of 20,000,000,000 gold marks, payable in two years without interest. It has also been determined that 40,000,000,000 gold marks shall be payable in bonds extending over a period of thirty years, beginning in 1921, with a sinking fund beginning in 1926.

These 40,000,000,000 marks draw 21⁄2 per cent interest from 1921 to 1926, and 5 per cent interest from 1926.

In addition to the foregoing payments, Germany will also be required to deliver additional bonds for 40,000,000,000 marks, when the commission determines that this shall be done. These three payments of twenty, forty, and forty billions bring the total to 100,000,000,000 gold marks.

Beyond this total, the commission is empowered to fix anything more that may be required to cover Germany's indebtedness.

"In other words," concluded the eminent American authority who framed the terms and furnished the foregoing summary, a commission is set up with power to collect from Germany to the utmost of her capacity to pay, within the limitation of her indebtedness."

The allotment of the 100,000,000,000 marks among the allied and associated powers has not yet been finally decided, but a tentative arrangement makes the allotment of France about 55 per cent of the total, Great Britain's allotment between 20 and 30 per cent, and the allotment of the United States between 2 and 5 per cent.-N. Y. Times, 15/4.

DATE SET FOR GERMAN DELEGATES

On April 15 a formal invitation was issued by the Council of Four to the German Government to send its representatives to Versailles on April 25. It was stated that the German mission would probably number about 200 persons. The Paris Temps stated on April 16 that Germany would be allowed only until May 15 to decide whether or not she would sign the treaty.

FRANCE AND BRITAIN IN CLOSER AGREEMENT

It is learned that the new arrangement between France and Great Britain. which some describe as a defensive alliance, is stronger than the old entente cordiale in that it contains a definite agreement on Great Britain's part to use her military forces in defence of France should the latter be attacked by an enemy.

The provision for the employment of military forces was not contained in the agreement itself, but in a separate note signed by Sir Edward (now Viscount) Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs-this note giving assurance that Great Britain would come to the assistance of France if necessary. A mere note, however, has no definite binding force, and the new undertaking on Great Britain's part is understood to be much more formal and final.

This arrangement between Great Britain and France is of interest in its bearing on the character of the undertaking sanctioned by President Wilson for American assistance to France in the event of German aggression.

How far the American assurances go is not yet disclosed, but the inference is drawn from the character of the British agreement that the President has met the French half way in their demand for special guarantees from Great Britain and America for the protection of the French frontiers from enemy attack.

American officials decline to say whether Mr. Wilson has actually given Premier Clemenceau a signed document containing assurances which, as has been stated in Paris despatches to The New York Times, engage the President of the United States to lay before Congress information of any enemy attack on France with the recommendation that such an attack be considered a casus belli by the United States.

French officials, however, continue to back up their statements that satisfactory guarantees have been given by President Wilson on behalf of the United States, and American officials have not withdrawn their admission that guarantees that satisfy French apprehensions have been furnished by the President.-N. Y. Times, 20/4.

GREAT BRITAIN

BY-ELECTIONS AGAINST LLOYD GEORGE.-By-elections in West Leighton, which in December gave a coalitionist candidate a majority of 6000 over his Liberal opponent, resulted in the election of a Liberal by a majority of 2000. Central Hull in April also went Liberal for the first time since it became a parliamentary constituency. While these elections indicated a change of sentiment since December, they were interpreted in England as a vote for a "clean peace" and a "Wilson peace." Commander Hull, the victor in the Hull election, said that he interpreted it as a warning "that if the government and the Big Four in Paris could not make a just peace soon they must give way to persons who could, but if Lloyd George was standing by President Wilson and resisting Chanvinistic demands for an unclean peace of the old-fashioned sort, then Hull's vote would strengthen him very much."

PERSONAL AND PARLIAMENTARY TRIUMPH FOR LLOYD GEORGE.-During a flying visit to England, Premier Lloyd George, on April 16, answered his opponents in a vigorous speech in the House of Commons. Without revealing the terms of the Treaty, the premier declared that his pledges to the country would be embodied in the document. He bitterly attached Lord Northcliffe and his newspapers, creating apparently a permanent breach between himself and Northcliffe press. He declared that "complete understanding on the great fundamental peace questions" existed at the Conference. Referring to Russia, he denied that the question of recognition of the Bolsheviki had been even discussed, but added, "I would rather leave Russia Bolshevist until she sees her way out of it than to see Britain bankrupt." Munitions would be supplied to the opponents of the Bolsheviki, and forces would be organized in all allied countries "bordering on the Bolshevist territory, from the Baltic to the Black Sea-Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Rumania." While the premier's speech was regarded as a parliamentary victory, it failed to silence opposition to his leadership.

QUIET RESTORED IN EGYPT.-An official statement issued at the headquarters of General Allenby, Special High Commissioner for Egypt and the Sudan, to-day, reads:

"Since noon yesterday quiet has prevailed throughout Egypt. An attempt on Thursday to tamper with a railway resulted in five arrests, while attempts to interfere with telegraphic communication resulted in the village of Beni Sembil being surrounded and given three days in which to produce the guilty persons. On Friday two rioters were killed and one was wounded when they were caught cutting telephone wires near Quesna."-N. Y. Times, 15/4.

SOVIET RULE IN HUNGARY

On March 22 Count Karolyi, Provisional President of the Hungarian People's Republic, resigned together with his Cabinet and turned the government over to Socialist-Communistic control. Upon resigning, Count Karolyi issued the following manifesto appealing to "the proletariat of the world" against the designs of the Allies in Hungary:

"The Entente Mission declared that it intends to regard the demarcation line as the political frontier. The aim of further occupation of the country is manifestly to make Hungary the jumping-off ground and the region of operations against the Russian Soviet army which is fighting on our frontier. The land evacuated by us, however, is to be the pay of the Czech troops, by means of whom the Russian Soviet army is to be overcome. "As Provisional President of the Hungarian People's Republic, I turn as against the Paris Peace Conference to the proletariat of the world for justice and support."

Austria, as it will be, is represented by the unshaded portion. The status of the other areas is as follows: Bohemia, Moravia, and Austrian Silesia will go to Czechoslovakia; Galicia is in dispute between the Poles and Ukrainians; Transylvania and the Bukowina will go to Rumania; the Banat is in dispute between the Jugoslavs and Rumanians; Croatia, Slavonia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina will be taken by the Jugoslavs; Dalmatia is in dispute between the Italians and Jugoslavs, but late cables say it will go to the latter on the understanding that Italy shall have Fiume; Istria probably will go to Italy with the Trentino; the Tyrol probably will go in part to Italy.-N. Y. Times, 30/3.

Without opposition, and apparently with the sanction of the former ruling powers, a "Revolutionary Government of Workers', Peasants', and Soldiers' Councils" at once took control in Hungary and issued a proclamation declaring "a dictatorship of the proletariat" and a policy of socialization of property and "armed alliance with the proletariat of Russia." Alexander Garbai became Premier or President of the New Government, and Bela Kun Foreign Minister.