Evening star., 1932-09-05
POLITICAL ISSUES
TOLEAD AT STRESA
New European Economic
Meet to Open Today.
Must Rush Work.
BY Cable to The Star.

BY Cable to The Star.
VIENNA, September 5.-Al states In
Central and Eastern Europe are turning
their eyes to the little Italian town OF
Stresa, where an international confer
ence opens today to examine their
financial and economic troubles.
In reality. the Stresa conference con-
tinues the Lausanne conference, which
completed only half its agenda. 1t also
is prelude to the World Economic
Conference, which is to meet early In
the Winter, probably in London.
What the central and eastern states
particularly want to know Is whether
the delegates at Stresa are prepared
to admit that, unless certain political
problems are settled, no economic
remedies can be useful. If not, they
fear that the conference will prove
abortive.
Inviting Powers"
These states are Poland, Czecho-
slovakia, Jugoslavia, Rumania, Bulgaria
Greece, Hungary and Austria. They
are sending delegates at the request OF
the inviting powers" which are Brit
ain. France, Germany. Belgium, Italy
and Japan, leading actors at Lausanne
Holland and Switzerland also have beer
invited. The conference will have to
work rapidly, for the Assembly Of the
League of Nations has been convened
for September 26 and hopes to receive
its report then.
There is general agreement on the
causes which have brought grave eco
nomic and financial troubles to Gen.
trail and Eastern Europe. Stated briefly
all turn on the fact that the treaty OF
Versailles recast the political map OF
that region, but that economic forces
persist in continuing exactly as before
the war. Most of these states hao
greater or lesser bonds uniting them tc
the old Austro- Hungarian Empire, both
politically and economically. Versailles
severed the political bonds, but the
economic bonds persist because they
were of geographical and other natural
origins. So that today trade between
certain regions, which before the wal
was internal trade, has become foreign
trade, subject to tariffs and other bar
riers.
Seek Danubian Hegemony.
Economic experts might conceivably
succeed in obviating all this, by means
OF IeRlOlldl dCCOloo di1N
preferential tariffs, among other meas
ures-Poland intimated this week thai
she will advocate free trade-but all the
political problems would remain un-
changed to impede economic progress
These political problems concern the
inviting powers equally with the In
vited. For one thing, the major pow
ers are all striving to obtain hegemony
over what is generally called the Dan
ube Basin.
Germany favors union with Austria
She feels that Czechoslovakia hinders
such a union, and therefore Is striving
to conciliate Hungary, Rumania ano
Jugoslavia. Italy, considering Jugo-
slavia her rival, Is striving to isolate
her by drawing Hungary, Rumania
Bulgaria and Albania into her orbit
Cechoslovakia is allied with Rumania
and Jugoslavia in the little entente
which has its chief patron in France
france, moreover, has military accords
with Poland, Jugoslavia and Rumania
There is an embryonic Balkan league
wherein figure Turkey and Greece, both
of which are pro-Italian. And in the
background is Britain, ready to main
tain the balance of power In Europe
by opposing whichever combination is
the strongest.