Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1922-04-21
Russian Delegates Start Rows IN
the Economic Conference
in Genoa.
INSISTING ON DISARMAMENT
Lloyd Georges Plan for Ten-Year
Peace Pact-Germans Expect Dis
cussion of Observation-Disclosures
Tariff Bill Reported-Progress
of Fight to Save Navy.
BY EDWARD W. PIcKARD

r ACKING the spirit that animated
IL the Washington conference, that OF
reaching an agreement, the European
economic conference which opened last
week in Genoa may, nevertheless, man.
age to evolve some comprehensive
project that will meet the needs OF
the old world. Premier Lloyd George,
who is dominating the meeting, be-
lieves it will. Many other eminent
men and a great many European news
papers are skeptical. Already 1t Is
evident that if any definite agreement
of wide scope is reached, it must be
through the yielding Of France and
the smaller nations that are members
of the French "bloc."
Soviet Russia, through its spokes-
man, Tchitcherin, though accepting
the "clvilized nation test" of the
Cannes agreement in order to obtain
a seat In the conference, is still In
sistent and almost obstreperous, being
bolstered by the support Of the Ger
mans and certain of the neutral ma
llODS anu ny Tic sally ddiiAbINN
fact that Europe cannot be restored
economically until Russia is again one
Of the family of nations. At the very
outset Tchitcherin, after accepting the
Cannes conditions, precipitated an an
CRY debate with the French by insist
ing that it was necessary to discuss
disarmament. Lloyd George soon
Quieted the uproar by saying:
Gentlemen, we have agreed not to
discuss disarmament, and therefore
our French colleague is right, but we
must not waste our time in argument
We must get on. Nevertheless, In
my opinion, the conference will nat
urally result in disarmament"
Next day the Russians protested
the presence of the japanese and the
Rumanians, because japan and Ru
mania are "unlawfully occupying Rus
sian territories in Siberia and Bes
sarabia. Viscount Ishii replied thai
Japan would take part in the confer
lions, and Bratiano, premier of Ru
mania, asserted that Bessarabia
which is mainly populated by hi
eountrymen, had been awarded II
Rumania by the allies. Premiel
Facta of Italy, who had been elected
permanent president of the confer
ence, ruled that in any case the in
vitations were ~irrevocable, and tn
Bolshevik delegates Rugged them
selves with glee because the rulinl
means that they cannot be oustec
even If they later %repudiate tn,
Cannes conditions.
Organization of the committee
brought more trouble. The first AM
chief one, to deal with Russian at
fairs, is made up Of Great Britain
France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Bel
GUM and japan, and of Poland, Ru
mania, Sweden and Switzerland, elect
ed by the little powers. Tchitcheril
demanded that Russia be given tw,
members on this committee becaus
of her special position. but there wa
such strenuous objection that he sub
sided. Barthou for France an
Theunys for Belgium wanted Russi
and Germany excluded from this com
mittee, to which Lloyd George replie'
that In that case the conference nigh
as well be abandoned Immediately.
Russia, 1t was stated in Genoa, wa
ready to give all the financial guaran
tees demanded in the program whicl
the experts of the allies prepared las
month in London, but would o &C
cept the clause providing for nike
tribunals to fix responsibility, consid
ering the latter an infringement o
Russian sovereignty. The soviet dele
cation had an alternate plan pre-
pared.