TREATY BILL PASSED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 12, 28 July 1919, Page 5

TREATY BILL PASSED

SPEECH BY MR. LLOYD GEORGE THE CRIME AND THE PUNISHMENT FRENCH AND ANGLO-SAXON ALLIANCE By Tcleeroph-Presß Assoclation-CopyrlirM London, July 21. In the House of Commons, replying to the debate on the second reading of the Peace Treaty Bill, Mr. Lloyd George said he wa.s of the opinion that the Government and the Peace Conference had every reason (o be gratified at the nature of tho debate, as in the main the House accepted the Treaty. He belie+ed that public opinion would, concur. The discussion covered the Treaty that had been entered into between Britain, America, and France, and it had been asked why this Treaty was necessary. It was no proof of want of confidence on the part of the French people. "We must remember," he said, "the natural anxiety andnervousness of France in face of this terrible menace. The League of Nations Must _ necessarily bo treated as a great experiment. France naturally says she believes in the experiment, and will do her best to carry it out, but would liko to feel behind her the might and power of the British Empire and the United States, in order tlwt the League should have a better chance of being established as a permanent organisation." Reparation Indemnity. Criticisms of tho Treaty of Peace itself, he continued, had been mutually self-destructive. Some criticised it because we. had gone too liar in exacting in. demmties; others said we had not gone tar enough in regard to reparation. Britain had got substantial compensation for the whole of the shipping sunk, for the lives lost and injury sustained by sailors, and for all damage in lespect to air raids, which wns very considerable. Compensation had to bo paid in respect of all pensions and allowances, which would be a very considerable annual ■charge on the taxes of this country. If we received from Germany payment of these sums, wo would receive very considerably relief. 110 asked was there the remotest chance of exacting all the costs of the war? The total cost of the war for the whole of the Allies wns 30,000 millions sterling. Tho question was examined by tho ablest Allied experts, who had endeavoured to exact'the uttermost farthing possible from Germany. Beyond doubt the.v .had done it. There had been criticism Hint tlw figiwo wns indeterminimpossible to determine the fietire. because 110 one could estimnto the, damnen to tlu devastated regions, which extruded oter an area four hundred miles by thirty miles. If a definite amount had beer; fixed, we ehonld simply havo transferred tho uncertainty from Germany to Prance. AVo had given Germany the onoortunity of sending experts through tho devastated regions to make their owi. estimate If such an estimate were siiibiiit f ed within four months, and if it were ■fiiir, Franco would accept it. Germany had lost' three-quarters of her iron ore,* one-third of her coal, seven million? of her population, and the whole of her colonies. Nobody thought Germany could pay the whole cost of the war— 1800 millions a year-even if the whole or tl'ew territories had been under her control. All tho Allied experts concluded t'n>t the reparation attached to the "reatv -vas the limit of Germany's ability to pay.

Abolition of Conscription. Air. Lloyd George said that tlicy had taken the* right course to end conscription. They could • not end armaments until they had struck at its roots. Prussian militarism was the root caufe of inscription in Britain,. France, Italy, Russia, and America; therefore Piassiaiilsra had been uprooted. It was iffloracticablc for us immediately to .abolish conscription. A good peace hod been secured only because Germany recognised the existence of armies on lier soil, able to impose their own terms, Tlio Treaty of Versailles would have been impossible without tho armies in Rhineland. He believed that by the New Ifear a voluntary army would suffice for all our requirements overseas. Tho War Criminals, As regarded the trial of the ex-Kai-6er, ho said Iho persons responsible for tho awful -laughter of the war should not escapi trial. 'Hie Allies had sufficient confidence in Britain that whoever came hero would have a trial equal ■ to tlio highest traditions of the British Government, and there was none higher in tho vnrJd. If war had to bo ended, it must be treated as a great crime, not op au h"r\ortnible geme. That was why, after reflection, the person whom they reg«rd»d a» (he author of tho war should be tried for his crimes. The Irish Problom. Replying to Air. Devlin's appeal to apply Prerident Wilson's and General Smubj's p-mcioles Ireland, Mr. Lloyd George aslted: Would Mr. Devlin apply tho principles to the whole of Ireland? The real difficulty was that Mr. Devlin's countrymen two not satisfied to get self-debrn::nalion themselves without depriving others of self-determination. Ho had to apply President Wilson's principles to Ireland by constituting an Irish convention, which had failed to bi;hg tho parties any nearer. The difficulty wag that Ireland was not a nation, J>ut three nations, in Tace, relig'on, temp'rament, and outlook. Until the g?.ps were bridged it was futile to talk about the principle of self-determin-ation. He despaired of any settlement until Irishmen were definitely resolved to face tin difficulty. It was'useless to quote President Wilson's principles unless the rritic? were prepared to apply them to tho whole of Ireland. The f.eague of Nations. He looked to the League of Nations ultimately to repair and redress the imperfections of tile Treaty of Peace. The League wind exist as a Court of .Ap»eal to readjust crudities. -Nevertheless he claimed that.the Conference had redressed many old wrongs, while he could not think of any new ones tliat had beer created. Moreover, they had established guarantee,- and securities, so far as human foresight permitted, against the repetition of the past horrors. They had disarmed and punished, and had demonstrated to the world that national rights and liberties coulti not be trampled upon. Tho Treaty would be a lighthouse in the deep, a warning- to nations and tho rulers of nations against llio perils upon which the German Empire had shattered itself.—Aus.-N.Z, Cable Assn. /treaty bill passed * London, July 25. The Peace Treaty Bill was committed without amendment, and passed tho third reading by IG3 votes to 4.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.