PICTORIAL SUPPLEMENT .
SIGNOR
GRANDI NEXT
FOR DEMOTION?
NOT LIKELY TO STAY IN LONDON
BALBO'S FATE
BY MILTON BRONNER.
Signor Dino Grandi, the tall, handsome, youthful. cloquent Italian Ambassador to Great Bri- tain, has dono & completo and mysterious fade-out from the London diplomatic scene.
And for weeks the various for- eign embassies, ministries and le- gations have talked about nothing else. There has been occasion after, occasion when the active presence of Signor Grandi seemed to be needed in London.
The Four-Power Pact between ¡Germany, Grest, Bitain, France and Italy-seeking to guarantee peace for at least ten years—was discussed and put through. But Grandi was not there to talk about it with Sir John Simon, British Minister of Foreign Affairs
MISSING FIGURE.
The Disarmament Conference was in session at Geneva and vari- ous urgent messages passed to and fro between the big European powers. But Grandi was not here to do his part.
Hitler defiantly withdrew Ger- miany from the League of Nations and the Disarmament Conference. Agitated conversations took place between Britain, Italy and France as to the next step to be taken. But Grandi was not here.
L
THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 6, 1934.
MUSSOLINI'S FREQUENT
no
ticular interest in Indin. That great sub-continent has lessons on colonial government. that it can teach Italy In its management of its North African possessions. So the chances are that Grandi's trip, in merely an- other long holiday.
FOR FASCIST POST,
PAGE THREE
CABINET SHUFFLES
onthusiasm. That busy man, al- ready talking French änd German fluently, proceeded also to learn English. Ho laughingly 'told Grandi he had a notion to intro- duce a bill in Parliamont forbid- ding: members to indulge in so many florid adjectives..
JAPAN'S BID FOR TRADE
ABYSSINIA CAUSING ANXIETIES"
IN-EUROPE
Haile Selasale, Emporor of Then suddenly one day Mumso« Abyssinia, "King of Kings of lind gave Grand his first demo- Ethiopia, Conquering Lion of tion. The Duce himself assumed | Judah and the Elect of God," and the portfolio of Foreign Affairs, { linéal descendant of King Solo He gave Grandi the Ambassador-mon's famous lady friend, the ship to London as a consolation | Queen of Shoba, has brought the prize. He himself put through "Japanese peri" to the very the Four-Power Pact.
doors of Europe--and Italy and England are not very happy about It.
Balbo was marked for the dis- card about the same time аз Grandi. But he fought back.. Ho
For Halle, better known to his- wrote a famous letter to the Duce tory, as the Ras Tafari, has given and saved his job. Then he led lands to Japanese for an experi- the triumphant formation flight of mont in cotton cultivation, han 24 seaplanes from Italy to Chien-surrounded himself with Japanese go and back. He was given a reg commercial experts, and stands agricultural, mineralogical and. ular Roman triumph. He was pro- moted to Marshal. He was the most popular man in Italy out- side of the Duce. Now he has been stripped of his Air Ministry and made Governor of Libya, the Italian possessiona in North Africa. It has been cynically said he has been made Governor of Sands.
MUSSOLINI'S WAY.
ready for considerable Japonifica- tion of his empire of 350,000 square miles and 13,000,000 peo- ple.
JAPAN SEEKS WORLD TRADE. The strongest military and nav. al power in Asia, Japan is now go- ing out for commercial conquest all over the globe.
"Conquering Lion of Judah' and the Elect of God."
ground on which to try out cotton culture. He also indicated ho would welcome a certain amount. of Japanese immigration.
The fate of Grandi and Balbo started quietly three years ago, The Japanese-Abyssinian deal has once more led to the gossip when Ras sent
But the country which is more a delegation to excited by these developmenta that Mussolini can abide around
Japan. him nobody whose popularity bids took place. The Japanese were
than any other is Important conversations
Italy. Tho Italians have always felt they had fair to equal his own. Fascists out for markets and they were out any other nation. Abyssinia has more interest in Abyssinia than ridicule this as balderdash. They for cotton. Their supply came no sea coast. Fifty odd years ago any Mussolini, a man of genlus, mainly from the United States and Italy accured possession of two of is so supreme, his position so se-India. They foresaw a possible
the constal lands which bar cure, his hold on the people so clash coming with India and the and Italian Somaliland.
Abyssinia from the sea-Eritrea strong, that he is above petty British.. The Japanese were jealousies. Rather they compare stealing from the British mills of him to the manager of the famous Lancashire all their Asiatic trade Moscow Art Theatre troupe. Un--especially in India. Not der that regime, the man who en long ago, India put up its tariffs things. Balbo became Air Min-acted the star role in one play, against Japanese goods. Japan ister. Grand became Foreign might be called on the next mere replied by boycotting Indian cot- ly to make his entry and exit na a
ton and buying, more from the The manager United States. speechless servant. wanted to make his people, all- round actors.
Premier Bonito Mussolini (right) gives Ambassador Dino Grandi (upper left) and Air Marshal Italo Balbo (lower left) = taste of the ups and downs of political life in Fascist Italy,
zation. To some it may look like promotion. As a matter of fact, . 18 just another demotion. Grandi will share the same fate as Marshal Balbo...
Only few years ago Grandi and Balbo were the Duce's two fair-haired boxs. They were, both younger than he. They had both joined him in his Fascist fight at the start. They were no eleventh hour recruits. Boah had served And now for a possible solution in the great war as Mussolini him- of the mystery: It is said that, self did. Dino Grandl, native of when Grandi returns to London It Bologna, trained as a lawyer, with will only be for A little while. his shrewd comprehension of men Now it in said that Grandi ls, go- Then he will be supplanted and and Italo Balbo, with his audacity ing immediately on a protracted return to Italy to become Secret-and-combativeness, were at once- tour of India. Italy has no par-ary General of the Fascist organi- marked out by Mussolini for great
Just where Grand! has been has not been revealed. There has been no hint that his health has been impaired. It has been said that, perhaps, he has been away on a protracted holiday. Various Rocletics wanted to invite Grandi to be their guest of honour. They were told no invitations could be accepted and no dates made for him until after January.
Minister. He was
A success at the Washington and
London Naval Conferences, Tio Came back from Washington full of enthusiasm
for the language.
English
JAPANESE ARE WELCOMED.
So with Mussolini. They say he But already three years ago wants to create a body of young they were on the look-out for a leaders capable of carrying on af new cotton field. Abyssinia pre- ter. he is gathered to his fathers.sented the climate, the soft and Therefore, he puts them on the heights and sees how they stand glory. Then he bounces them down and aces how they stand up under adversity. All the time he is testing and training them for the big jobs they may have to as- sume some day when he has pass- He defected Mussolini with his ed from the stene.
"I liked it," he told this writer, "because it largely discards ad- jectives and adverbs. Fascism is a movement of action. The English language is an action language mostly nouns and verbs. I do- termined to learn to speak and rend it. I did so."
FIRST_DEMOTION..............
· ITALIANS MEET DEFEAT. Then in 1896 she claimed a pro- led to war, tectorate over Abyssinia. This tion, poorly prepared and weakly The Italian expedi-
armed, was badly beaten in the battle of Adown, with the result that Italy gave up all pretensions to bossing the Abyssinians. The only access to the sea Abyssinia has is by means of a railway 488 miles long from Adis Ababa to Jibuti in French Somaliland. The railway is owned by the French and, if they choose, they could choke off all external commerce.
the cheap labour. The Japanese quietly negotiated a customs tres- whether some day France might Now the Italians are wondering. ty with Abyssinin, giving, them a most favoured position for their the railway to
not sell French Somaliland and the Japaneac. goods. It was also agreed that Even now they are studying Japanese technical experts should treaties to see whether they are go to Abyssinia to study the possibetween England, France and Italy justified in invoking an old phot bilities. Emperor Halle not only to act together to anfeguard their welcomed them, but gave them Interests in Abyssinia.
CZECHO-SLOVAKIA'S PRESIDENT ON THE PROGRESS OF WAR-BORN NATION
BY THOMAS CARRIGUE MASARYK. President of the Czechoslovak Republic,
To give a view of what we have accomplished since our state has been renewed and of what we hope to accomplish, is a complicated and dificult task.
We experienced all the difficulties which have embarrassed the old states; but there was one favour- able exception. The war aid not ravage our territory, as it did that of France, Belgium and Poland.
Our country remained intact, with the exception of some districts in Carpathian Russia.
There is in Czechoslovakia lucky balance between agriculture and industry. That means we are, almost self-supporting, though we must import some grain, raw ma- terials, and industrial products..
On the other hand, we are ex- porting, and I am happy to say that our industry and agriculture are very good, and steadily pro- gressing.
NEW PRINCIPLE OF LIBERTY ACCEPTED.
I accept in all sincerity the post- war principle of federation, har.
monizing the interests of all states
and nations, and their interests
along lines political, economie, cul-
tural.
I know, of course, that the world
is at the moment preoccupied with the price of wheat, but I do not, forget the saying that man does not live by bread alone. And the great nations which were, until now,
exporting their industrial articles
to the states and nations which had no industry, mußt realize that after the war all nations tried to be in- dustrialized.
J
There wo have a great question, forcing us to look at the universal problem of unemployment from a new point of view,
WHOLE WORLD IN GRIP OF UNREST,
Europe and the whole world is in.) pecullar unrest, not created, but strengthened, by the World War. To become fully aware of that un- rest, and of the other many post- war difficulties, is the aim of states. men of all countries, with the hope of a harmonious continuation and realization of the pence conference and its work.
Our new state was exhausted and poor; you may remember the American help given us by Mr. Hoover and others. Yet we soon recovered to such degree that wo could work.
One must remember one fact.
The old Austro-Hungarian empire,
so far as its industrial structure
was concerned, consisted principally
With this grosplay of military power, Czechoslovakia greeted at Prague the 15th anni- versary of its existence as an in- dependent republic,
LACK OF SLOVAK SCHOOLS REMEDIED.
accomplish, political and adminis-
It had many and now tasks to
regime had to be replaced by ǹ now
trative. The old Austro-Hungarian
administration.
of our country (Bohemia, Moravia, I accept the principle of liberty and Silesia), though Vienna and and democracy, rejecting the old North Styrin had some industry. Let me give a single illustration, regime and its tactics of aristo-
The renewed state, therefore, con- | All of Slovakia had not one Slovak cratic supremacy, enforced power,
tinued the previous economic rela- state school; there were very tions with other states. Of course few Slovak schoola organized by and oppression. Our national pro- gramme of humanity is dictated not the renewed state had to adapt it churches. It was by these means only by ethics, but also by political | self to the now situation in Europe that the old regimo had tried to foresight.
and the world in general.
Magyarizo the Slovake. One of our
DANZIG
GERMANY
BERLIN
WARSAW
VERKAR
DOLAND
HUNGARY
DELORADO
YUGOSLAVIA
At the very heart of Europe, barrier equally between north
and south, east, and west, llas Czechoslvakia.
130 agricultural schools, 20 com. mercial schools, and, finally, a univerzity,
were singularly difficult, for the old regime did not accept our people in these branches of administration; Czechs were appointed only to minor posts.
command in the army, and not by any prestige pretensions.
In our republic all minorities have their primary and secondary schools; the Germans have their university and two technical in- slitutions. In mixed districts, a minority of 20 per cent. can uso Its language in all official proceed- inga.
1
Yet to-day the administrative machinery of the whole republic is working fairly well,
of our work in the last few years, I should like to mention land reform. Our country had been a land of great estates. The republie abolished the aristocracy, owners of the great estates, and took over their land, paying a just price for it. Yet the enemies of our republic speak of "confiscation" of the land. It was divided among the land- less part of the population, by Į JUSTICE IS AIM OF which nicans a half million new Inndowners were created.- That
The problem of minorities must. be studied everywhere, to find in ali departments of public life the most practical solution. One, scarcely can expect that all the citizens of a nation should speak two languages,
but one can demand it from the intellectuals in public office.
PRESENT REGIME.
I know there is a clamorous pro- was, in fact, a great economic and paganda conducted abroad by some
social revolution.
The question of minorities has created much discussion. Our re- public is composed of the leading Czechoslovak nation, more than 9,000,000. Next In number are the Germans, something over 3,000,000. Then the Magyars, more than 700,- 000, and the Russians (Ruthenians) counting about 450,000.
members of the minorities, com- plaining of national oppression and injustice. Fault's have been and are committed and I am willing to concede that after the experience of 10 years we can ameliorate some of our minority rules.
But the accusations
of wilful oppression by the state are not
correct.
Besides these, we have about
As for the futuro prospects of 180,000 Jows and 70,009 Poles.
our republic, I feel that we shall The most important minority are be able to take care of ourselves. the Germans, scattered through Out of our early wars and against the ropublic, forming no continuous them grow our national humanism.
territory,
Imagine what it meant to pro- curo necessary teachers, professors and school buildings, and you have a fair standard for judging what has been accomplished in a little | OFFICIAL LANGUAGE more than a decado.
most ardent aims was to provide | GREAT ESTATES the Slovaks with schools.
PARCELLED OUT.
Now we have in Slovakia more- The now state had to organize than 5,600 primary schools, 40 16 ministrios. The ministries of secondary schools, 15 high schools, foreign affairs and national defence
HELD NECESSITY.
Beginning with Comenius, our beat leaders have recommended to the nation the principles of hu-- manity, poace, and justice.
It is an accepted rule in Europe that there must be in every stato
This political programme is the an official language. In my view programme of the small nations of Europe, and especially of our na- this should be determined by prac- tion, whose territory lles tical necessity, as instanced by very heart.
nt ita