General News Items

Quite the most interesting as well as sensational phase of the Venezuelan boundary dispute with Great Britain has been developed by the ultimatum which the British government is suid to have sent to Venezuela, growing out of the arrest last year of Sergt. Behren's and two assistants of the British pólice f orce, by the Venezuelan authorities at Uruan. '1 he St. James Gaette of London, has published statements to the effect that Hon. Jos. Chamberlain, British secretary of state, had cabled instructions to tíir Chas. Cameron Lees, governor of British üuiana, to provide Maxim guns to control the Venezuelan border to prevent the crossing of soldiers. Also urging the cutting of a military road through the disputed territory betvveen British Guiana and Venezuela, as well as increasing the military force and erecting barracks on the frontier. The ultimatum which Great Britain has sent to Venezuela is to the effect that reparation must be made for the arrest of the pólice inspectors at Lruan, and that no more Venezuela soliers cross the border of the disputed terriiory. If this is not done the threat is made that force will be used. The answer of little Venezula makes is a rejeetion of the demands and a re-statement of her claims. The British protest was made against soldiers Crossing the border on the fact that some Venezuelan soldiers liad crossed the River Cuyuni near the British station. They did not interfere with the British and merely went to celébrate the national holiday with some friends. The British insisted that Venezuela should give assurances that no more soldiers should cross. The Venezuelan government could not accede, however, because such an assurance would been a tacit adraission of the British claims on the territory. Henee the refusal. The official statement from the Venezuelan foreign office covers also the policy of Venezuela in case the British attempt to build the military road recommended by British Minister Chamberlain. The Venezuelan statement closes with the significant sentence that on the question of building this road, the course of Venezuela has been such that the "invading neighbors" cannot make another step further on the Venezuela side of the line "without at once proyoking a collision." The government of Venezuela is providing itself with modern armament and among other supplies has ordered 10 improved Maxim guns. At the same time the syndicate of United States capitalists whieh has secured concessions on the Venezuelan gold lands claimed by Great Britain is prepariDg to send a large force of prospectors, miners and workmen into the field and should trouble occur there is no doubt that the United States should protect the American interests. Indeed it is expected that the United States will see to it that Great Britain does not intimídate Venezuela, and it is a fact a large number of the U. S. warships are now in the immediate vicinity of the probable scène of trouble to be ready to enfj-t 'he Monre doctrine.