The times., 1899-06-20
THE PEACE CONFERENCE.
The Work of Various Committees
PrOrressing SLOWLY,


Progressing Slowly.
The Hague. June 19.-The full commit se
will meet tomorrow at O'Clock in tie
afternoon to examine the report ahd ar
ticles concerning the adaptation OF the
Geneva convention to naval wars, and will
constitute a committee to draw up gen.
eral act to be passed upon by the full Peace
Conference.
The second commission will meet to-
morrow and approve the report OF Pre-.
Renault, of France. in the name of the
first subcommission. and vote ON he pro-
posed articles of the declaration of Br:ls-
sells. s..sSl i
The arbitration committee is not likely
to meet until Friday or Monday. Count
Mucster.I the head of the German dcle5a-
ton. says he knows nothing about the
matter, as he does not belong 10 any COM
mittee. He spends his days mostly at
Scheveninger. in the company OF NJ. Beer
naert, the chairman of the Belgian de ega-
ton. -
The board of the Masonic lodge has re-
fused the use OF its hall to iehmed Riza
the leader of the young Turkish I.arty.
who arrived here few days ago TO plead
the cause OF liberty and equal rights tor
all parts and all parties OF the Ottoman
Empire. 1t has now been arranged that \
meeting be held elsewhere with member
of the Dutch Parliament as chairman
Achmed Ria Bey will speak for the young
Turks, Ammeniagh for the Armenians, sni
Scalieci for the Greeks.
William T. Stead held a public meeting
on Thursday. at which he said that the
statement that Holland had ordered the
use of dum-dum bullets was unfounded.
Holland, he said, never did and never VII,
use them.
Among the rejected proposals in the va
rious committees is one prohibiting the
employment of new explosives not yet
/, brought into use. This proposal was re-
jected by a vote of IL to 8. On the pro-
posal forbidding the perfecting of cannons
there is no accord and it is possible
| that the question of the principle Of such
prohibition would be rejected. Con-
! cerning bullets, especially dum-dums. the
| Swiss and Russian propositions being re-
J jected, the subcommittee voted new Rus
| sian proposal prohibiting the use OF bull
| lets with strong wrapper and uncover
| ing totally the core of explosive bullets.
! This proposal was adopted by vote of
! 10 to /, England casting the dissenting
vote.
The report of the military subcommittee
| to the first commission by Gen. Ben Beer
Poortaguel. of Holland. Is printed. 1t gives
| the details of the debates on the ques-
tion of powders. Captain Crosier. of the
American delegation. having remarked
that the prohibition of the employment OF
stronger powders would run counter to the
Russian views of economy. the delegates
pronounced in favor of absolute liberty
| of conscience in employing new powders.
| The interdiction OF bursting bullets for
artillery was rejected by vote of II to
10. England and the United States voting
| for the proposal Austria abstained from
/ voting. France and Roumania voted In
| favor of launching bullets and explosives
from balloons. they wishing to delay the
matter for five years. The question OF
/ guns occupied four sittings No agree
ment was reached and the matter stands
over Six delegations were not instructed
by their Governments.
| London. June ia despatch to the
Standard" from Berlin says that DIR.
Zorn has returned to The Hague. Mr.
Hollis, of the American delegation to the
Peace Conference. who accompanied DR..
Zorn to lay the latest arbitration proposals
before Emperor William. is still in Berlin
despatch to news agency from The
Hague says that DIR. Zorn arrived at
Scheveningen this morning Emperor
William being absent from Berlin, he only
saw Herr Won Buelow. Dr. Zorn is reti-
cent regarding his mission to Berlin, but
1t is understood he obtained the impress
sion while there that hope need not be
abandoned of reaching an understanding
anent an arbitration tribunal by an ANAL
| gamation of the different schemes.