WARS

Five wars disturb the peace of the world:

Italy is engaged in suppressing rebel forces in Tripolitania (Tripoli Italiana); there is a state of civil war in South Ireland; General Wu's forces are fighting the Military Governor of Szechwan in Western China; the French and Germans are snarling at each other in a war of attrition in the Ruhr; trouble has again broken out over the Polish- Lithuanian boundary.

Italy's colonial interests have been brought to the front by the recent fighting in Tripoli, which has cleared the ground held by the rebels since 1915. In her last victory Italy gained important strategical positions which have given her control over the whole of her large colony, with a few unimportant exceptions. Italy came into possession of Tripoli during her war with Turkey, 1911-12. It was annexed in 1911, and in the Treaty of Ouchy, signed in October, 1912, Italian sovereignty was formally established.

The war in China is being waged by General Wu. One of his allied generals has attacked Chengtu, capital of Szechwan, the most westerly province, in the hope of forcing the Governor of that province to recognize Wu as actual ruler of China. In the meantime the recently returned Dr. Sun Yat Sen has formed a triple alliance with Chang Tso Liu and General Tuan Chi Jui for the purpose of bringing General Wu into line with them, by force if necessary.

Lithuania has broken the truce recently agreed upon with the Poles by attacking their advance guards in the central area southeast of Vilna. The object of the truce was to settle the boundary dispute amicably, but the sudden agression by Lithuania points to the long arm of Moscow.

The original cause of this war was a disagreement over the boundary dividing Lithuania and Poland at the time both these countries received their liberty. Immediately war was prevented by the League of Nations, which marked off a neutral zone to keep the two nations on friendly terms and then took on the thankless task of settling their dispute. After much deliberation the Council of the League determined on Feb. 3 the course of the demarcation line and ordered Poland to occupy her portion of the neutral zone. A. desultory war has been in progress ever since.

The troubles of Ireland and the Ruhr are dealt with elsewhere.