The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-04
+
ALLIES TO MAKE
A BUFFER STATE
Propose Big Area of Safety
on West Bank Of the
Rhine River
ALSACE-LORRAINE
TO GO TO FRANCE
Occupation Now in Effect Under Arm
istice Terms Likely to Become Per-
manent-Frontiers of New State
Boundaries to Be Announced Soon.

PARIS, March 4 lAssociated Press1.-
A new map of Europe is rapidly taking
form and within a week the frontiers OF
the old states will largely be defined as
they are to appear in the peace treat,
and the successive documents fixing ter.
ritorial limits.
First in importance is Germany's west.
ern frontier bordering on France, which
assumes international significance as
barrier against renewal OF the present
war
Owing to the issues involved, the final
determination of this question is left to
the council of the great powers, but III
the meantime the tentative plans have
cen well advanced by the commission
| mich co-ordlnates report on all frontier
! questions.
/ As it now stands, the western ftentier
comes under three main heads Fist,
Alsace-Lorraine; second, the great iron
| and coal regions OF Briey and the Saar
| ,7alley, and third the extensive strip oil
| German territory lying on the west banl,
| IF the Rhine from the Ialatinate north
. ward
With respect to Alsace-L Lorraine, the
present tendency is TO make recession d
dis section TO France without any con
Iition OF plebiseite or otherwise. i
5 now occupied by military forces qndel
/ The armistice, and there is every indica
ion that the occupation will become per
nanent
The Briey and Saar Valley sections ar,
nelly important as furnishing iron. stee
| nd coal on which sGermanys miIitar,
lower was based, and it is believed tina
he new line will definitely put an en-,
o any further use of these sources o
German power Part of the Brey an,
| aar sections will become French hy til
return of Lorraine.
The main difficulty has been over
'arge section of the Saar coal fields y
ng beyond Lorraine and within Getma
erritory. The present idea seems to b
,iomewhat between annexation of tina
eetion and leaving it to Germany. AZ
'ording to this plan the northern Saa
'egion would be neither French nor Gel
nan, but would occupy a position som,
What similar to the District of Colnmbi
: among the American states.
/ It's productive capacity would doub
{ ess go to France, but politically its 300
: 700 inhabitants would not be subject I
c ,onscription of military service either
t / france or Germany, and would not eie,
I delegates to the legislative body of eitht
), country
Il This and other measures are being co
: sidered with the object Of "stcrihzne
e the region, so that Germany could not
r | sudden thrush turn its production
if war uses.
u Concerning the region along the we
= bank of the Rhine. the present tenden
: | S toward the form of sterilization whi'
would render this section impotent f
German military uses, without givil
R a definite political status toward eth
Sc 4'de. This probably would b. accoi
G. plished by the same means as in the Sa
D. egion by making the inhabitants int
:, pendent of CONSUMPTION or military s.
= vice to either side and without legisiati
representation except some local for
- of standardization
= This, on broad lines, is the present pla
which, however, is only tentative pendi
final action by the council of the grt
powers.
The plans relative to other frontie
including those of the new Czecno-S
vakia, Rumania, Serbia and Greece. a
Q to the expected acquisition in Thrace a
y Asia Minor are also nearing completi,
so that New Europe win begin to Ia
= 1uifa n daffnita form, within n ,vaal-