The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-02-11
PEACE COMMISSIONS
SEEK TO SOLVE TASKS
LIBERTY OF TRANSIT PRO-
POSED BY ENGLAND.
America Gives Support-Two
Features Of Labor Pro-
gram Adopted.

Paris, Feb. 10.-(A. P.)-The COM
mission on ports, waterways and
railways of the peace conferencd met
i teday with Dr. Silvio Crespi, of ftaty,
In The chair England, supported by
america, proposed the proclamation
or the principle of complete liberty
OF transit to every country on equal
conditions to all. This proposition
was opposed by Albert Claveille for
France, and Lambros A. Coromilas 8
for Greece, who pointed out that
England and America occupied
special situations that made the ques-
tion of commercial land transit in
significant for them.
The commission appointed two
sub-committees, one to study the
/ other question of liberty of transit.
The first committee has approved of
the principle that no country may
charge duties on goods passing
through its ports or over its railways
or waterways other than the freight
rates paid on goods destined for the
country itself Neither may they levy
on such goods customs or local taxes.
Belgians Protest.
Belgian delegates protested against
allowing freight destined for Ger
man ports to pass through their
territory exempt of duty, thus ex-
pediting the prosperity of Germany.
They claimed also such measures
should be taken as would make navi-
cation of the Scheldt river free for
Belgium. The Czecho- Slovaks and
Poles insisted on having ports of
their, own, the former on the Adria-
tic and the latter on the Baltic. M.
Coromilas proposed to give them, re-
spectively, at Trieste and Danzig the
same privileges that Greece granted
to Serbia at Saloniki, where Serbia
has part of the port and enjoys ter
ritorial rights. The Czecho-S -Slovaks
and Poles consider this proposition
an insufficient guarantee and definite
decision was postponed.
The commission agreed that navi-
cation of the Rhine and Danube
should be free to all countries bor-
dering on them or through which
those rivers pass. The Rhine passes
or borders Switzerland, Germany
France and Holland, and the Danube
holds the same relation to Germany,
Austria, Bohemia, Hungary, Serbia
Bulgaria and Rumania.
Committee Of Eight.
Paris Feb. lin view of the COM
plexity and diversity of the problems
raised by the armistice, says Ha-
vas report, the supreme war council
has appointed committee of eight
members to which would be en-
trusted the task OF studying these
questions, The council. therefore,
has postponed for few days the
adoption of conditions to be imposed
upon Germany so as to be better pre-
pared as to means for insuring their
execution.
The committee is composed of
America; Lord Robert Cecil and
Maj. n. G. Thwaites for England; DR..
Silvio Crespi and Gen. Cavellero for
Italy; and Etienne Clementel and
Gen. Degoutte for France. 1t held its
first meeting last night at s o'clock.
Gen. Degoutte, who had been sum-
monei by telephone from Lille, could
not arrive in time. however, and the
committee meeting will continue to-
day. When a draft of the conditions
has been prepared it will be submit
ted on Wednesday to the supreme
war council for definite approval.
Paris, Feb. 10.-(via Montreal.)-
The special committee consisting of
two representatives each from Great
Britain. the United States. France
and Italy, which the council Of the
great powers decided upon a week
ago 10 examine into the claims of
Greece in the peace conference, will
meet Thursday of this week.