Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-23
'SMUGCLED italian
GUNS STIR NATIONS
Austria and Hungary Try to
Dodge Issue-BaIkan Coun-
tries Join Dispute.

Bv Cable 20 The Star and Chicago Daily
News. Copyright. 1923
VIENNA, January ga complicated
situation has arisen concerning the
italian arms smuggling incident known
as the St Gotthard affair
The Austrian and Hungarian govern
ments each has issued communicate
which revealed that each was trying 10
force the other to find a way TO dispose
Of the arms.
Meanwhile. five carloads Of unassem-
bled machine guns, lying on side
track at st. Gotthard. are proving
themselves a Pandora's box. 1t will be
recalled that an Austrian official With
Pandora instincts on New Year day
peeped into one Of the cars and dis
covered the shipment OF machine guns
instead of machinery. as called for by
the bill of lading. This peep has set
almost all countries of southeastern
Europe at each others threats in the
fiercest squabble in many months, and
caused much embarrassment in Euro
pean chancelleries. as did Czechoslo-
vakiaS shipment Of arms to China
Neighbors Accuse Hungary.
On the day the ST.. Co.thard arms
were discovered. Austria demanded that
Hungary return the cars due 70 the
false declaration Of contents. Hungary
refused, maintaining that the cars
already were on Hungarian soil Czecho-
sloyakia. Jugoslavia and Rumania
launched an anti-Hungarian press and
diplomatic campaign and accused Hun
gary Of arming every able-bodied man
and boy in the country with machine
gun for an eventual attack on the
little entente
Hungary defended herself with the
in transit en- route TO Warsaw, which
might obtain them by claiming them
Czechcslovakia and Jugoslavia sought
to bring the matter before the League
OF Nations in the form of q common
protest Of all the little entente coun-
tries. France supported this action,
but Italy frowned upon it. Rumanta
was. and remains. In q quandary The
incident occurred while negotiations
with France for a loan were at a
critical stage and just as an important
conference between Dictator Mussolini
of Italy and Foreign Minister Tituiescue
had been arranged. At first the
Bucharest government showed signs of
goAAAAiS piVtCNk
Loan Plan Hits Snax.
As the outlook for q loan from France
struck an increasing number Of Snags
however, and rs Dictator Mussclini
gave hint to NJ Titu3escu that he
would be more welcome in Rome II
no protest was made. Rumania began
TO wayef. Whether the protest ever
viii be lodged as q unanimous action
Of the little entente depends ON the
outcome Of the Mussolini- Titulescu con-
ference. which. according to the last
reports reaching Hungary. has been set
FOR Tuesday
Meanwhile, Austria and Hungary con-
unue 70 sQuabble over the machine
guns. with each IN the opposite posi-
ton 70 that drSt taken. second Aus
TRAN communiQue revealed tina. Hun
gary had offered 20 return the cars but
trat Austria refused to accept them on
the ground that the cars have been
several weeks In Hungarian hands--the
Inference being that Austria has doubts
whether the present contents are the
same as those originally delivered 70
Hungary
A Hungarian communiQue states that
the cars contain the original contents
and that Hungary offered 70 return
them merely because they contain ''un-
calied-for goods which. according 20
the Hungarian railway organization.
must be returned 20 the original
shipper