GREAT BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1338, 16 January 1912, Page 5

GREAT BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

» ATTACK ON SIR E. GREY. ACCUSED OF ANIMUS AGAINST GERMANY. Bj Telecraph-l'resa Associftlion-Oopyristal London, January M. The "Daily News" declares that the nation demands ;v new' Foreign Secretary. It complains that "Sir Edward Grey - * policy is ono of preoccupied animus against Germany. RELATIONS WITH GERMANY. In his great speech on foreign policy in the House of Commons on November -", Sir Edward Grey said: — "I desire to do all I can to improve the relations with Germany, but th* friendships which we have made have lasted now for some years, and it must be. a cardinal point of improvement of relations with Germany that we do* not sacrifice ono of those, and what I desire, and what I hope mav be possible, though it may seem difficult at the present time, is that the improvement: uf relations may be such that they may include not only ourselves but those who are our friends. (Cheers.) We keep our friendships; we intend to retain them unimpaired; and the more we can do that, so long as we can preserve that condition, so-much the better. But that is the essential condition. Nor is the policy I have sketched put necessarily a bar to good relations with Germany. 1 do not believe it is. (Cheers.) Tho Getman Chancellor recently made two speeches. He naturally presented the German view, and they were addressed mainly to Gernran public opinion. 1 willingly recognise that in both those siiteches of the German Chancellor, though he had a difficult situation to deal with and those speeches put the German view of the case, he was studiously careful to avoid saying anything that might offend British public opinion, and if I may speak freely about thosu speeches of the German Chancellor I would say that while upholding the German view of the particular case, the tone and spirit of them were such as to inspire us with the belief in his desire to see this country strong, but not aggressive. If that is the spirit of German policy, then I am sure that in two or three years the talk about a great European war will have passed away, and there will have boen a growth of goodwill not only between Germany and England, but between those *two countries and the friends of both." "TAPPING THE BAROMETER." In the course of a speech at Plymouth on December 5, Sir Edward Grey referred to foreign affairs. He said: "Some of my friends are) always anxious to be tapping the barometer every five minutes to see if-it is rising. (Laughter.) What I believe to be really desirable now is that we should have a few weeks if possible of diplomatic repose. (Laughter.) And if wo can devote ourselves during the next few weeks to our usual Christmas enjoyments and our internal political questions, and not tap the barometer too often, I think there is every hope that when we next begin to examine it we may find the sky clearing and the barometer rising. (Cheers.) Foreign affairs have not in recent years been controversial in this 'country in tho sense of being party politics. Now and then thero may have been a good deal of criticism on foreign affairs. In tho six years that we have been in office I gladly admit that the official Opposition, the Conservative Opposition, has given us s«i>port on foreign affairs, notably in tho speech which Mr. Balfour made in the summer, that by Lord Lansdowne made the other day, and also that made by Mr. Bonar Law. (Cheers.) If foreign policy is to be of.weight and to bo effective w.ith other nations, it must have fairplay at home; and no Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs can be otherwise than haiApered in maintaining tho interests of this countr.v abroad if he is subjected to fighting for his policy against constant attacks at home.*' (Cheers.) ■ ' ■", AN ANGLO-GERMAN UNDERSTANDING. The "Daily Chronicle" stated recently that "Sir Edward Grey, speaking of his desire to improve-Anglo-Germau relations, said it was impossible for .statesmen in either countr.v to compel a favourable breeze of public opinion. That, of course, is a truism. Does Sir Edward Grey realise that so far as this countr.v is concerned, tho favourable breeze is already blowing?.'To vary tho image, in the language of Herr Bethmann-Hollwcj*, tho slate is clean. What are we going to write on it? That depends on our Foreign Office. It ought to depend on public opinion. But British public opinion and loreign Office policy do not always coincide. Certain, it is that if British*foreign policy at the present time were guided by British public opinion, an Anglo-German understanding would be a, possibility of tho early future." TALK OF A BUSINESS AGREEMENT. Tho "Cologne Gazette," a journal which is very frequently the mouthpiece of the German Government, discussed in a recent issuo the possibility of a business agreement with England. Commenting on'the Imperial Chancellor's speech, the "Cologno Gazetto" says the Reichstag wn.s unanimously of. opinion that Great Britain must first prove her goodwill by deeds, and till then conciliatory word's would find no credence, and adds: — "This course also points the way in which we must henceforth regulate* our affair with England. There lias lately been much talk in the press of the necessity of coming to a business agreement with England, and to an understanding, especially in colonial matters, by which future disputes might be avoided. This business agreement is, then, to bo tho forerunner of an understanding on naval armaments in order to set bounds to the competition in armaments. At present tho German has to conquer reluctance before he can take up such questions of a friendly understanding with Great Britain, and yet, perhaps, that is the only means of dissipating tho mistrust which poisons tho relations between Great Britain and Germany, for the increase in naval armaments on both sides must finally lead to the goal for which armaments are intended—war. Therefore in somo quarters it is considered advisable to cry halt so fur as the Navy is concerned, and'assert and strengthen our position as a preponderatingly Continental military Power by the increase of the Army. ,, . ... The "Vossische Zeitung" says: —"Neither tho Government nor the Parliament made an impression of weakness. We await the future with hopefulness and calm. In the end we shall be able to agree with England instead of fighting." The "Berliner Tageblatt" says:—"The German people arc agreed upon two points—that England's will alono cannot be law all over the world, and that recent German policy has been u chain of mistakes fraught with grave consequences."