BRITAIN AND FRANCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1468, 17 June 1912, Page 5

BRITAIN AND FRANCE.

ALLIANCE OR ENTENTE?

FRENCH PREMIER AGAINST A

A CHANUE,

DISPOSITION OF FRENCH FLEET.

By TtUtnvb—VrcM Aeioclatlon— CosrrleM :^.:;.,;j v (Eoc.. June.l 6, 5,5 p.m.) ■■ ■. fo : £f'<::h)§ii '*'■''." :*■,■ Parlt," June 16. y-Th6;Prime'<Minisicr, M. Poincare, in ■ ■■■ speaking; in.-the Chaml/er of Deputies, .referred to tbe newspaper suggestion that ■ ithe'Anglo-French entente 6liould bo trans- ; ferred info an allinnce. ■ M. Poincnre said '.the entente, tliough act written, oil parchment,: had the. euppe-rt of a. majority cf ■both, nations, V Its etrcngtli : lay in ill present,.; form pan alliance was unnoceK sary... and-would ha a mistake. > y-This statement was greeted with cheers, r' \ SMS:Poincare added that tho relations , of,; Franco with Germany wore loyal and. i i-;;J, , ..,,; '", .-■..',.. ...■ ,■ . C':|;J|f,renc'H'-naval; PUNS^β':" ."„ CONCENTRATION IN MEDITEfc . IWNBAN. . . '. .. ■ Kv' = ;v:i<*.(E€C,;June Iβ, 5.5.p.m.); '"■• . :C i^??^\* A:: '-"' ;?v Paris,' Juno 16. '.. . ■■{>.■ MS Delcasss, Minister for Marine, hits j: issued an order for the cbivccntration. of ■the'; 1 French destroyers now ecattored in. ; ' :,tlio' Channel ■ and on tho Atlantic coast ■:umler.ono command, in order to assume ithoprotectiqa of the French coast. . . iMt-is presumed .that the order is based iotfijth©' assumption that in tho event of . ■■ a 4 :war'of ■an offensive character -these : ;\vators will, be taken by England, while ,thc' main French Baltic fieet will Is concentrated.in. the Mediterranean. '. ' "'" ON.THE WALL," '"# GERMANY , AND THE MALTA .'" ;.%.,;.".j,,?V<v CONFERENCE.. .■ ..'•: ■- . gi^V^-*;'-'?"'■'''M" ■ Berlin, June U. ; '. ;! ;:.The "Neusste Nachrichten," tho newtipapei, controlled by Krupps, declares ftat ■ the Malta ConfeMiicft is the "writing on the wall." It has indicated that if war with tiormaisy had dppn'vc-d England of half htr fleet,- her. .fosition with' .. -America,-the Far East, and with many, parts, of Europe, would be forfeited. This 'would lxj the beginning of the end of her ■ world supremacy. The conference should boa warning to Germany to develop her sea , power at all costs, nnd obtain her '. ideal of securing the balance of power ; . on; the high seas," .. - : '■ : 'international naval rivalry, I'v aThint to feance to build . ' jf:': , ;''.;.'.... . ; ships.. .. ■■■ : ■' The ineensous way in whicli the naval ■ ■ armanienls oi' one countrj' are used for . ■ the encoTiragemeut of armamonls in'tsti- , ' othd - is well illustrated by an article which M. Delimal, tlio s))ecial ]jOudon' correspondent of the "Temps," has licca contributing to his journal pn tho question of Anglo-Ger.>iian.jiavnl,rivalry. After, ' showing in detail tho prcat naval superiority, which Great Britain will have over Germany after the latest . schema has been carried, out, M' Dclimat '.'■ eays: "it must not bo forgotten, ,'liow. ■-... ever, that one of the essential factors ol ■;.'■.■ this pacific victory has been the pmsilri!' , .".. ity for Ensrlatid to ooncentnate nil . hot '■'naval squadrons in the North Sea,' and • .that this concentration is only possibleso long as liYauce retains her naval ,ml»\' prem'Rcy in the Moditerrasioan, But sup- V'' popo that this supreinaey fihonld one day,;-'', .disappear, is it not' clear that Eiigkiid;';;;;; "would have to maintain a fleet of 'her owaV.'if. in the Mediterranean in order tovhqld/m) , check that of the Triple Alliance? , -' Aud,v.,w .if., so, would-not oil the partisans'of &"~ rapprochement with' Germany and all - those-whff-lowily-wy on<r-for _ sodttl—tb~ - " forms profit by the occasion in «rdor todemonstrate that this is n disastroas pol- ■ > icy, and perhaps succeed in inducing th» Government to eoraete an '«nderstantliiis . with Germany at any cost—that is, at our , expense? These questions must not even be allowed to iiribe. The French navy is-' not.a luxury—it is tho •essential end neceS';' ; ., sary ba.sis of tho entente «ordiale." .■ „. . :.