Evening star., 1924-12-21

soldiers having been set ashore at
sundry ports, the fleet took refuge
in the harbor of Bizerta (Tunisia-)
One hears that half of these ref
ugees. at Bizerta have turned Boil
shevist and have been spreading the
gospel of Lenin among the Tunisian
natives. The white fleet was recently
turned over to the Moscow govern
ment, to the rather natural indigna-
tion OF Baron Wrangell
There is another aspect of the
French difficulties. Italy had dreamed
Of taking over Tunisia, but France
forestalled her, and for this France
has never been forgiven. The Italian
immigrants, moro numerous than the
French, have never been we'll af-
feoted to the French rule. They con-
stitute a so-called Italian peril" an
embarrassment to Franco-Italian
diplomatic relations They have
caught the Fascist infection and are
behaving accordingly. The italian
peril is. however, being combatted
(successfulIy, II is said) by q move
ment to increase French immigration
81 Il " y
United States OF America.-George
W. Wickersham has been invited to
be the American member of the
League of Nations advisory commit
tee for the codification of interna-
tfonal law and has accepted.
A national conference on street and
highway safety was held in Wash
ington December 1916. Last year
there were in this country 22,600
deaths and $4,000 serious personal
injuries from traffic accidents, where
of 80 per cent were chargeable to the
automobile. 1t is certainly high time
adequate corrective measures were
taken The increase in number of
motor vehicle accidents last year
over that Of the previous year was
IA per cent.
Samuel Gompers, president OF the
American Federation Of Labor, died
on December 13. William Green, sec
retary-treasurer Of the United Mine
Workers Of America, has been elected
by the executive council of the Fed
Grafton to succeed him, to hold office
until January 1, 1926, when Mr. Com
pers term was due to expire.
~ X
Miscenaneous.-The Marx govern
ment OF Germany has resigned and
the designations have been accepted,
but they are remaining at their posts
pending formation of a new govern
ment.
Stresemann was invited to form a
government and tried, but failed: the
Centrists would have nothing to do
with a government that should in
clude Nationalists. Efforts by Marx
to form a. government which should
include Peoples party, but exclude
Nationalist representation, have also
failed, the Peoples party refusing par
ticipation should the Nationalists be
left out in the cold.
Apparently furious counter -revo-
luton is In process in Albania, the
outfit which was expelled some
, months ago trying to recover the
power.
Tsuneo Matsudaira has been ap-
pointed Japanese Ambassador to
Washington to succeed Mr.. Hanihara
He was chief secretary of the jap
anese delegation at the Washington
conference and in that role made
many friends here.
The first and smaller opium confer
ence at Geneva, which included rep
resentatives Of the opium producing
countries only, ended on December
13, with no accomplishment. For
ways that are dark and tricks that
are vain the first conference is Pc
culiar." happily observed Alfred SEE,
the Chinese representative. The larger,
second conference seems to be gs;1g
the same soa4