The sun., 1919-05-22
London "Times" Editor Says
This Offers Only Hope -
of Solution.
REVIEWS COMPLICATIONS
Asserts Allied Diplomacy Re-
garding Italy Has Been
Narrow Minded.
BY II. wICKHAM sTEED,


Special Cdoie Despdfch TO TEE sus from hs
London THnes Service.
Copyright. 1919; oil riohr ressrred.
PARIS. May 81. - Semi Official at
tempts made during the last fortnight
to find an amicable solution of the Adri.
attic question have ended for the moment
In failure. Although 1t may presently
appear that these efforts we're not en-
tlrely fruitless. various difficulties hith-
erto regarded as insuperable bar the way
TO an acceptable compromise
Some of these difficulties are inherent
IN the nature Of the dispute. Others are
entraneous. 10 not artificial Until the
latter can be removed the former ara
likely TO prove intractable.
The inherent difficulties arise from the
inevitable inclusion OF large numbers OF
southern Slavs within any Just frontiAr
OF Italy. and the equally inevitable in
ciusion OF some thousands Of Italians
within the boundaries of the new Jugo-
Slav state.
Some OF the Complications.
The Italian frontiers as broadly sug-
sested in President wilson's April dec
laration would leave more than 370, 600
SloVenes and Croats under Italian rule
and between $4,000 and 10000 Italians
or ltalianized Slavs would be left under
Jugo-Sla were Fiume, the Dalmatian
islands and the whole of Dalinatia in
cluded In the Jugo-Slav State. The at
tribution OF Fiume to Italy would re.
duce the number OF those italians by
nearly one-half. but were the territory
between 1t and the Arsa River, where
President Wilson's suggested frontier
reaches Quarnero, to be assigned TO
Italy some tens of thousands of addi-
tional Slavs would come under Italian
sway.
In any case the disproportion between
the number of Slavs acquired by Italy
and the number of Italians acquired by
the Southern Slavs would be serious.
but given a possibility of agreement in
other respects the Southern Slav delega-
tion might be induced TO assent TO this
sacrifice. The real difficulties lie else
where.
AS regards the Adriatic they consist
chiefly in the question of F!ume itself
and OF the sovereignty over the Austrian
Dalmation islands. The southern Slavs
probably would assent to the establish
ment OF F1uue as free port with au-
tonomous administration under the
League of Nations provided the railway
from Laibach TO Fiume and the terri
tory through which IL runs were left TO
Jugo-Slavia. But they object strongly
to the establishment of any foreign ma
tional sovereignty in the eastern Ad<i-
attic south OF Quarnero over any point OF
the coast or islands. The Italians. on
the other hand, hold out for effective
Italian sovereignty over the district OF
Flume and the several islands, though
they might assent to a tolerable ar
rangement in regard to the harhor. --
All these matters have been debat ted
to safety during the last fortnight
When the semi-official negotiations
gave place TO official negotiations be-
tween some members OF the Italian and
southern Slav delegations under the
auspices of Col. House and American ex-
perts it was hoped a conclusion might
be reached. The hope proved illusory.
and though the Italian representatives
modified slightly the demands which the
southern Slavs had been unable to ac-
cept the distance between the contend
ing claims was still too great TO be
bridsed.
The position is therefore. that the
Italians have the choice between insist
ing upon the execution OF the Treaty
of London by France and England
(Which assigns Fiume TO Croatia) and
the reduction of the Italian claims to a
point at which their acceptance by
the southern Slavs could be advocated
by Wilson.