Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-06
JUGOSLAVS PLAN
FOR NEW ASSEMBLY
Restoration of Parliamentary
Government, in Nominal
Form. Predicted.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
BELGRADE, April 2.--Restoration Of
parliamentary government in Jugosla-
via, although probably in only nomi-
nal form, Is predicted in authoritative
circles as the next major step in the
reconstruction of the tri-partite kingdom
under the dictatorship of King Alex
ander.
Some of the prophets profess to know
that the King will proclaim new con-
stitution to take the place of the or
ganic law which he suspended in Janu-
airy, 1929.
ruled without a parliament and with
out political parties. The cabinet has
been made up of men who were persona
grata to him personally, and they have
been responsible only to the King.
Seek National Unity.
A new system of local government
has been put into effect. 1t has been
based upon the idea Of geographical di-
visions of the kingdom, instead OF the
racial and religious provinces that for
merly kept affairs of state in turmoil.
AS a furtherance Of the attempts to
create sense of national unity, the
very name of the country has been
CIldnSSQ. IL UlSGu W Dc Vic AAIShOLAA
of the Serbs, CroatS and SloveneS."
Now it is officially what it has long
been known as popularity, the King
dom of Jugoslavia."
The redistribution of local authority
took place through creation of nine BAN
ovineS, or administrative districts. At
the head of each is a "ban," who has
almost vice-regal powers. Like the
cabinet ministers, these bans report di-
rectly to the King.
Eight of the banovines are named
for the chief rivers passing through
them-the Vardar, the Save, the Zeta,
the Drina. the Danube, the Morava, the
Vrbas and the brave. The ninth, which
takes in the districts along JugoSlavia's
coast line on the Adriatic, is known as
"the Littoral" Besides these, the city
Of Belgrade is an independent prefec-
ture.
Hence officially there is no longer
a Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Herzegovina
and Montenegro to plague the gov
eminent with traditions of racial
heroics Instead of being Bosnian or
Montenegrin, man is Zetan or a
Danuban. And all are Jugo-slavians.
Political Parties Suppressed.
So also the dictatorship has tried to
suppress divisions along political lines.
The old government saw the Croatian
Peasant Party and the National Demo-
cratic Party in alliance against Jugo-
Slav MoSlems, Slovenian Clericals and
Conservative Radicals. There were half
a dozen other organizations buzzing
around these principal combatants.
Six months before the dictatorship
was declared, these rivalrieS dared into
eruption. A revolver blaZed on the floor
of parliament. Stefan Raditsch and
several other Croetian leaders were shot
down by Montenegrin and the coun-
try was brought to the verge of a
separatist movement and possible civil
war.
One of the first acts of the dictator
ship was the suppression of political
parties as such. Their headquarters
were closed and their party newspapers
suppressed. Some of the more re-
celcitrant politicians were arrested and
banished to remote villages where they
live under strict surveillance. Others
fled to neigbboring countries, whence
thnv try to carry on"
80 the prophets of the new con5ti-
tuition believe that If it comes, it will
provide a parliament with only re-
stricted powers. Some see in the flu
true one-party government like that
which MuSSolini operates in Italy
Others believe that the new parliament
will be only an advisory body, as i'm
potent to enact legislation as the ma
tional assembly of Spain under Primo
de Rivera.