Evening star., 1921-07-31
BY HENRY w. BUNN.

(COpyf1Rnt, 10<1, 1ue washington ctaI.y
-HE following is a brief summary Of the
most important news Of the world for
the week ending July 80:
UPPER s1LEsIA.-A week ago.
according to press reports. there was
imminent danger Of a rupture between Franco
and Britain over Upper silesia. Lloyd George
demanding that the supreme council meet at
once and decide the boundary. BRAND insisting
that the meeting be postponed until the allied
forces in Upper Silesia should be ctrong
enough to enforce the decision when announced
and to keep Poles and Germans from clashing.
BRAND proposed to strengthen the French
contingent and suggested that Britain and
Italy follow suit. Neither proposal nor sugges-
tion was pleasing to Lloyd George. He would
not consent to dispatch Of more French troops
to Upper Silesia: to dispatch them without his
consent would impertl the entente.
How the situation stands at present is
doubtful. According to London report of the
9th, BRAND has proposed meeting OF the
supreme council for August 4. on condition that
Lloyd George yield the point Of French
reinforcements. According to a Paris report
of the same day, BRAND has dropped that con-
dition and substituted therefor statement
that any hostile act or demonstration of Ger
mans against French Poles in Upper
Silesia will be followed at once by French oc-
crpation of the Ruhr basin without reference
of the matter to the other allies. The latest
advices do not tend to clarity the controversy.
X X X X
So then there may be a meeting of the
supreme council August T. But II the
boundary decision must be unanimous (and
BRAND will doubtless insist on that 1nterpreta-
ton of some very ambiguous language In the
Versailles treaty. it is apparent that the de-
cision may be still far ahead. The following
remarks on the British and French positions
regarding disposition of the nine (and frac-
tion) disputed districts of Upper Silesia may
refresh the readers memory, as tney state,
believe, accepted facts:
The British position (which favors German
claims) is based on economic considerations
more especially as they affect Britain; on rear
that the disappointed German claims would
imperil the London program. shatter the Wirth
government, and provoke Germany to attack
Poland (if not at once then in the not far dis
tant future), the which would probably bring
on a general war, and on the apprehension that
an alliance between France and truly rich
and powerful Poland might dominate Europe
aggressively.
The French position Favorable to Polish
claims) is based on the fact Of Polish majorities
in most Of the communes in the disputed dis
tricts and the fact that in the area which
France would give to Poland considered as
whole the majority of permanent inhabitants
are Polish; and (chief1y, Of course) on the con-
sideration of security for France. To adopt
the Lerond line would be to deprive Germany
of an extremely valuable military asset cooking
COAL etc., etc) and by the same token to be-
stow it on Poand-on the Franco-Polfsh al
lance That decision would immensely in
crease the wealth of Poland, her ability to
maintain great military establishment, her
value as an ally. To France. casting about for
guarantees against Germany. alliance with
a Poland made powerful has seemed to be the
most promising thing in sight. France has
dwindling population of only 36,000,o00 Ger
many a rapidly increasing population Of
$4,000. 900.
X X X
RUSSIANS head Of the American relief
administration, and in response to an appeal
from M. Gorky, Mr.. Hoover has informed the
latter that the American relief administration
will aid adult invalids and one million children
in Russia on the same conditions as those ac-
cepted by twenty-three other foreign countries
where such aid has been rendered and on the
further condition that the Americans held
prisoners by the soviet authorities be released
at once. The Russians considering the
conditions.
Recent reports show that earlier reports
concerning the famine in east-central Russia