BRITISH PRIME MINISTER AND HIS CRITICS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 49, 21 November 1917, Page 5

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER AND HIS CRITICS

REASONS FOR THE PARIS SPEECH URGENT NEED FOR UNITED FRONT By Telegraph—Press Association— Copyright (Rcc. November 20, 10.30 p.m.) London, November 19 Immune interest was manifested in the debate in the House of Commons initiated by Mr. Asquith, on Mr. Llojd George's recent speech in Pans. Jhe House and the sallerifis wore crowded. , ~ Mr Asquith, in open ng, laid down two propositions which ho hoped tophi W ould notto confa'overted-flrstly, in war, the u timate rcsponsiWitj- foiw hat was done or undone rested with the Government; secondly, it was vitally mMrtaut tha frequent and intimate consultations should bo held between the Medstate men and the soldiers, and that co-ordination should be as complete as noLbir NeZtheless, he deprecated the establishment of any organisation nte'tring with the responsibility' of the General Staff to the Go™nment, or deroeatinl in any way from the authority and responsibility of each .of to \Uied pslples V their respective Governments. Mr. Asquith emphasised the fief that Mr Lloyd George, in bis Paris speech, did not mention tho &avy, wh ch in many mpects dominated the strategic considerations of ho war Whfcl he asked, would decide on a point of disagreement between tho Allied Staff and the General Staff? . Sir Edwaid Carson interjected: Ihe War Cabinet' Tho object of the debate, Mr. Asquith continued, was (o dispel eertain misapprehensions-arising from tho Prime Minister's Pans Bpeech. He Pointed mit that Mr. Lloyd George shared equally, the nspon--sb?l y regarding tho invasions of Serbia and Rumania. He afhrrned ftat Mi" Lloyd George's view regarding Serbia . was not L Iff ««v of the loading military authority in England. The theory of a single front was perfectly sound, and tho corollary to that was that an fllv at one end of tho lino was best helped by a maximum eftort at the 2l'?i ly Mr Llovd George had regal «l tho people of Paris with irrelevant HisfVefeXetoX Western front suited that, the British Bomm. ions'blood awl bravery had been squandered, when strategically .it could ha>e Cn K employed. Never were operations more carefully conceived than those o?SiTKa?K and the Frenchßeaders. He doubted whether any AU.ed cLncil wisely gnifed, would have interfered with either of tho two great offenriv s n theWe g st in favour of more attractive adventures elsewhere. We had no reason to be ashamed of our war contribution. We had kept theseasneo, wpanded the Army into seventy divisions placed our arsenals and credit at the disposal of the Allies, and so wo would contuiuo to tho end.

Prime Minister's Reply. Mr Lloyd George, replying, said that more important than anjthing- he had said in Paris was it to decide' whether greater unity of control were .ceded and Zholhmi "but nnder the new council he would be in .a position to do f.o. tC facthatAnKench troops had to rußh to Italy to retrieve the disaster it with a deliberate purpose in his mind.

Public Sentiment had to be Roused. wfutTlti I? i a on m nttlulthkd been most carefully prepared and prehim whore wo can. That is why we want tins Central Council.

Only Two Things Can Defeat Us. of n civilian to rwrgnmso ™iliwy» K*i«d tnM ncs o j .|p M lricab!y behvoen England a.nd wore triulors. Tic <lcpr«..uni anum»n happen. T see nnxieTYaMo. "If w- net tether, we need rot fenr *h*t nw 1 nappe ties on 11., horizon. Iw »«I IJ ™J $£ nnly P hvn thin,, ° f TKotion for Mljoiimmcnt was withdrawn.