ister the first two of these rivers and a commission was provided for the Niemen in case it should be asked for. The Danube commission was reestablished and Germany agreed to accept the regulations to be fixed within a year for the administration under this commission by the Allies. Austria's and Hungary's right to establish works at the iron gates on the Danube was abrogated. The rights of the new states established by the treaty, bordering on the Danube, and of Roumania, to improve navigation were guaranteed and Germany agreed to restore to the Danube Commission all the rights and pay for all damages inflicted upon it during the war. The treaty also provided for a possible Rhine-Danube deep draft waterway commission, should such a commission be deemed advisable in the future. The treaty internationalized the Rhine and Moselle rivers and made provision for their administration, guarding the rights of France, Belgium and Switzerland; while Germany agreed to carry out such provisions for improving the Rhine navigation as she had entered into with Belgium before the war or to permit the commission to make such improvements at Germany's expense. Germany also accepted the right of the commission to extend its authority up to the Lake of Constance, subject to Switzerland's consent, or on the Moselle between France and Luxemburg, subject to the latter's consent. Germany likewise agreed to lease to the Czecho-Slovak state for a period of ninety-nine years areas in the ports of Hamburg and Stettin which are to be placed under the regimé of free zones. Such zones will be administered according to rules fixed by a commission of three members appointed one by Germany, one by Czecho-Slovakia and one by Great Britain. The Kiel canal was required to be kept open and free to vessels of commerce and of war, of all nations at peace with Germany, on terms of equality. Provisions concerning railway transport were made to follow the Berne convention of 1890 unless a new convention should be made. Labor Reg For the first time in history an attempt was made in the peace with Germany to make working regulations in regard to labor. ulations. In the preamble to the labor-provisions, the treaty made clear that its makers believed that future peace would be possible only by providing regulations in regard to labor that could be acceptable to the nations. A permanent organization was created from the states which were original members of the League of Nations. It was to consist of a General Conference of representatives of the members and an International Labor Office controlled by the governing body. This body was made to consist of twenty-four persons as follows: twelve representing the governments, six representatives elected by the general conference to represent the employers, and six representatives so elected to represent the workers. The Labor Office was established at the seat of the League of Nations and was to receive such assistance as required from the League secretariat. The first meeting of the General Conference was to meet in Washington in October12, 1919, and was to be called by the U. S. government. The General Conference was empowered to establish international regulations by a two-thirds vote which, when accepted by the members of the League, become law for such as accept them. In case of violations the governing body may, on the refusal of a nation to comply, publish both the complaint and its decision, and any member of the League may take such economic action against that nation as the Permanent court of International Justice of the League of Nations may recommend. The treaty recognized in general the following principles and recommended their inclusion in the law of nations as far as practicable: labor shall not be regarded as a commodity that is bought or sold; the right to organize for any right purpose; of both worker and employer an adequate wage; the eight-hour day, and forty-eight hour week as the standard to be aimed at with twentyfour hours weekly rest, preferably on Sunday; the abolition of child labor and the limitation of labor of young persons to permit of the continuation of their education; the recognition of the principle of equal pay of men and women for work of equal value; a standard set by law for conditions of labor, with due regard to the fair economic treatment of all workers; a system of state inspection employing both men and women. Miscellane ous Provisions and Guarantees Germany agreed to any settlement to be made by the Allies with her former associates in the war and to recognize any boundaries fixed for them by the Allies. She agreed to recognize changes made in the 1815 treaty regarding upper Savoy between France and Switzerland and a modification of the former treaty between France and Monaco. Germany accepted the transfer of her religious missions to trustees appointed by the Allied and Associated governments and agreed to accept all findings of Allied prize courts during the war and to accept the treaty as closing any and all claims arising out of such actions. of the Peace. In order to guarantee the carrying out of the treaty, Germany agreed to the Allied occupation of German territory west of the Rhine and the Rhine bridge heads, for a period of fifteen years, or, provided the treaty is carried out by Germany, the period of occupa12 The Conference was finally called for November 1919, in Washington. tion will be restricted as follows: at the expiration of five years the territory controlled by the bridge-head at Cologne and that bridgehead will be evacuated, except the railway lines in the above area; at the expiration of ten years the territory controlled by the bridge-head at Coblenz together with the bridge-head, except the railways and roads, will be evacuated; at the expiration of fifteen years the bridgeheads at Mainz and Kehl, together with all the occupied territory, will be evacuated. REPRESENTATIVES OF THE GERMAN STATES, MEETING TO TALK OVER SPA CONFERENCE. If at the end of fifteen years, the guarantees against unprovoked aggression are not considered sufficient by the Allies, the territory will be held until such guarantees are received. In case the reparation committee find that Germany refuses, either before or after the period of occupation, to observe even a part of her obligations, the Allies will reoccupy the above territory immediately and if before the end of fifteen years, Germany complies with all the provisions of the treaty, the forces will be withdrawn immediately. Germany also agreed to the evacuation of all the former Russian territories as fast as the Allies deemed evacuation practicable and agreed to send no further troops into such territories. The ratifications of the treaty were to be placed in Paris, the treaty was deemed to come into force as soon as Germany and three of the principle Allied nations had ratified it, in so far as the nations ratifying it are concerned; and for all other states, as soon as the deposit of ratification is made in Paris. The terms of the Treaty with Germany settled, the Allies turned to the difficult work of arranging terms with the other The Treaty belligerents to satisfying the desires as well as to curb the with Austria. ambitions of the newly created states in Central and Southern Europe. The first work was that of arranging terms of peace with Austria. The Austrian delegation made a pleasing impression upon the Conference by its dignified bearing and its friendly attitude, which were in great contrast to those of the German delegation. After a great deal of delay caused by the difficulty of satisfying Jugo-Slavia, Roumania, and Czecho-Slovakia, the terms were handed to the Austrian representatives on June 2, 1919, in the old historic chateau of Francis I at St. Germain-en-Laye; hence it is known as the Treaty of ST. GERMAIN. After four months of negotiations, in which Austria made bitter protest against the economic burdens of the treaty, the document was signed on September 10, 1919. Terms of the The Treaty of St. Germain bore with it the League of Nations as provided in the treaty with Germany, and the labor clauses of that treaty. It reduced the territory of Austria Treaty. to the small German portion in the central western part of the old empire, with a population of six or seven millions, while Austria was compelled to recognize the complete independence of Hungary, Czecho-Slovakia, and Jugo-Slavia, and to cede other territories to Italy, Roumania and Poland. Altogether, she lost a population of about forty-three millions and a territory comprising five or six thousand square miles. Austria, now officially called the Republic of Austria, was compelled to demobilize her army and to reduce its numbers to 200,000 men under voluntary enlistment. She agreed to demobilize her aerial forces, to give up those guilty of war crimes to the Allies for punishment, to give up all her extra-European rights, to recognize beforehand the treaties to be made with Bulgaria and Turkey and such change in status as the Allies may see fit to make with regard to Belgium. The economic terms, however, were those which bore most heavily upon the newly formed republic. By these terms Austria agreed to bear her proportion of the costs of the army of occupation and to bear the whole burden of the war debt as fixed by the Allies. She was relieved of the proportional part of the pre-war debt, portions being imposed upon each of the territories taken from the old empire. Austria was required to devote her resources toward the restoration of the devastated areas and to give up such animals, machinery, etc., |