The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1920-05-21
AuStrianS Have Bad
Time Taking Over
Preliminary City

-
ODENBURG, German West Hun
gary, May 13--Red, white and green
posters with legends of protest
against the separation of this pro-
Hungarian city from Hungary, and
its accession by Austria as soon as
the peace is ratified, appear in near
ly every house and shop window.
Two Austrian commissioners, sem
here to make preliminary arrange
ments for taking over the administra-
ton of the town, upon their arrival
were hooted and jeered by a great
crowd, vegetables were thrown at
their carriage and black flags hung
buildings. They seem powerless, il
is said, and are now virtually volun-
tarily informed in their offices here.
This little city, which the Hun
garians call Sopron, is the metropolis
of hat strip of territory which the
Peace Conference took from Hun
gary and gave to Austria on eco
omic, e~thnologic and strategic grounds.
Its loss has caused the Budapest
government to make various propos-
ais to Austria in an effort to retain
it, all of which have been refused.
Meanwhile the men here generally
wear the Hungarian colors in their
coat lapels and the women on their
hats or as hair ribbons. The Austri-
ans charge that the demonstration
against their mission was a govern
mentally organized affair.
The Hungarian government has en-
deavored, it charged, to create the
impression hat this region is pre-
ponderantly Hungarian i'll race,
tongue and by prediction. The Wien.
ma government, on the other hand,
has resisted this with counter claims
that the people are ~dominantly Ger
manic by blood, language and desire.
OF late weeks there has been con-
siderable publiskty given semi-ofiicial
Austrian statements that, pending
their withdrawal, the Hungarians we're
depressing the Austrian population,
requisitioning material of all kinds
and generally wreaking their revenge
in much the same way the Rumanians
did to them. 1t was even stated in
high Vienna quarters that farmers
horses were being taken away.
These reports were so persistent as
to lead the correspondent for the
Associated Press to attempt a first
hand investigation. This has covered
ten typical villages, exclusive of this
little capital, with talks here and
there with peasants in the fields or
along the roads.
1t is fair to say that in the region
visited no evidence In support of the
alleged Hungarian oppression or re-
questioning was to be had. The net
impression gained was that the ma
jority of the population in the local
tiles covered are in favor of union
with Austria. One reason assigned
by the peasants was because the Mag
vars they said, had never given them
proper schools. Their children We're
poorly taught, if taught at all, and
they at least knew the Austrians had
good schools. Then, Vienna was their
market. Budapest was a long way off.
The Hungarian official classes were
"unsympathetic with the farmer" and
60 on. This was echoed in other
.own. Naturally, II vas dissent.
Here and thu 1 of the
Vienna Commun with
which they want o..
Here in Odent sent an
Allied Commissio ting, COM
posed of British, r..Ach and Italian
officers, watching over affairs until
the Austrians take hold.
This is a vine country. 1t has al
ways looked to Hungary for its
grain supply and fear exists that this
may be cut off. Thus economic prob
lem assumes a very vital phase for
Austria which must supply at least as
much grain as this region has receiy-
ed heretofore.
While the territory involved is
small and the population only about
100000, the strategic aspect of this
area probably is its most important
one. Austria's present frontier is
regarded as dangerous in that Vienna
and Wiener-Neustadt, as well as many
other industrial eenters lying along
the main line of the railway, are but
a little distance from Hungary, east
" oman 10 attack from that more