The sun., 1919-06-08
BRITISH to- CONTROL
JUGO-SLAV PORT
Cunard Line Contract for
Fiume and Ragussa Docks
Reported.
ITALY PROTESTS PLAN
Concessions Given for Estab-
lishment of Passenger and
Freight Service.
ITALY PROTESTS PLAN
sseoiG, csor. Dsspo,cA TO tn. sus.

OoDhtGht, lsls. az rfGhfs reserved.
ROME, June IAN entirely new light,
possibly of vital importance to Ameri,
can business men. Is thrown on the COM
plicated Fiume question by the Wiener
bIqtt. a Vienna newspaper, copies of
which have arrived here. II reveals a
situation which. II accurately reported.
Will be of startling Significance to the
people Of Ffume. Up to this time the
accuracy Of the statements has not been
20 much as questioned.
From these statements, coming by
way OF Vienna, II appears that Great
Britain's maritime arm. the Cunard Line.
has prepared contract with the new
Juso-Siav states whereby, owing to the
total lack OF Jugo-Slav steamship ton.
rage and the absolute impossibiiity Of
the Jugo-Slavs constructing or purchase
Ing any ships for the present, the Cunard
line would undertake to establish Das-
senger and merchandise service with
Jugo-Slavia, on consideration OF which
the Jugo-Slavs would place at the dis
posal of the English company the ports
and docks of Fiume and Ragussa."
By this stroke Great Britain would OBJ
tain grrat maritime concession, maxi
ing possible conquest Of the Adriatic
commerce and completing her control of
the Mediterranean.
Lose Control of own Docks.
The concession II carried through will
wrest away from the people of Fiume
and from the people OF Ragussa owner
ship and control Of their own docks.
which means their outlet to the sea and
their commercial intercourse with the
world at large.
According to the British-Juso-S lav
TnV1Nw AA H.
hard Line. after getting control of the
docks at Fiume and Ragussa, would
also undertake the transportation of
foodstuffs from America to Jugo-S Slavic,
retaining percentage OF the net profits,
America finding in Jugo-Slavia markets
for its excessive production in food, raw
material and textiles, while England
as sea power would assume the trans
rortation of such material" CommcntinE
on this the Wetnerbldtt adds: 1T is
therefore evident that the two nations
are interested to see Fiume awarded to
JuEo-Slavia."
This naive assumption OF the Vienna
newspaper is causing comment In Italian
business circles, for the reason that
Italy's population of $4,000, 900 for years
TO come will be compelled to buy enor-
nous quantities OF practically everything
civilized peoples need-not only food
stuffs, clothing, steel in great quantities.
coal to tie extent OF 100000 tons
per annum. machinery of every kind,
but raw and, manufactured goods OF
every conceivable kind. These will be
purchased from American business
houses, provided the United States can
provide them and provided Americans
can obtain tonnage sufficient to carry
them by sea. II American exporters
arc prevented from shipping huge guam
titles and continuously Italy will have
but one Alternatives purchase her
needed supplies from Germany in fu-
ture as she did before the war
italian business men and statesmen
alike foresee the danger in thus being
compelled to undertake with Germany
large exchange of commodities and
funds, lest a commercial alliance natural
ly develop which in turn might by for
tunes KALEIDOSCOPE become In future
years another political alliance. This,
Of course, would mean a world menace
greater than the menace of 1914. which
threatened civilization with extinction.
Those who are influential in Italy to-
day never would dream of developing
such an alliance. But Il Is an axiom
that no continental nation can live with
out allies. and IL the United States
Joins Great Britain and France In de-
hberAtely throwing Italy overheard this
year or next. no man can prophesy the
outcome. Italy was thrown overheard a
generation ago and thus was forced to
become a member of the Triple Alliance,
Il 10 conceivable that the world might
face combination consisting Of Italy,
a reJuvenated Austria. Germany. a vast
and overwhelming Russia thoroughly re-
organized by Germany, and, not I'M
possibly. with imperial Japan associated
Juso-sfnv Market Considerable.
To American readers who have little
II any background of European military
and political history this may seem to
be preposterous. II Is nothing Of the
kind. II would be entirely logical. and
whether II comes to pass in future de-
Ponds wholly upon how Italy is treated
now
For the immediate future It must be
remembered that the Jugo-Slavs present
R market, which while so much smaller
than tkat of Italy that the two cannot
be compared. yet that It offers a con-
siderable opportunity for excessive ex-
ports. For example. statistics recently
made public indicate that the United