IMPORTANT SPEECH.

Gisborne Times, Volume IX, Issue 827, 16 February 1903, Page 2

IMPORTANT SPEECH.

BY MR BALFOUR. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright Received 5.11 p.m., l l ’eb. 15. London, Feb. 14. Mr Balfour had an enthusiastic reception at Liverpoool. lie announced that there would be a great revolution in constituting a committee on defence, which would be fundamentally remodelled. It would no longer be purely a Cabinet committee, and now includes the Com-mander-in-Chief as President of the Council, the Prime Minister, First Naval Lord, Secretary-at-War, and Directors of Military and Naval Intelligence. It was intended to keep a record and reasons for conclusions, for the guidance of their successors, thus introducing a continuity policy. If the conclusions were unsound, Cabinet would deal with them. Mr Balfour hoped the reforms would bear rich fruit, iu connection with the ever-increasing gravity of the defence problem he considered the joint operations with Germany over Venezuela were reasonable. livery effort had been made not to arouse American susceptibilities. He went on to say that the Government would gladly have welcomed President Roosevelt us arbitrator at uuy stage. Great Britain welcomed any incroaeo cf American influence in the Western Hemisphere. It would be a great gain to civilisation if America could ensure Bouth American Republics observing the international law. He deplored tne tendency to international animosities, and advocated increased co-operation of tho Powers. Even if it were clumsy it would be better than isolated action. He announced that Lord Lansdowne considered that all serious difficulties iu the Venezuela negotiations had been removed.