NEW CALAIS CRY.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 March 1917, Page 2

NEW CALAIS CRY.

The Hague, Jan 9

“ Our objective in the West must not be Antwerp and Zeebrugge, but Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Calais. For if under tha terms of peace we do not gat Calais it practically means that England is retaining it, and then Germany’s position is worse than it was before the war.”

Thus does Dr Andrae, president of the Kiel County- Court, '‘‘interpret the manifesto to the Chancellor by the Germany Navy League. Ha declares that to maintain the freedom of the seas after this war Germany must at any tima be able to prevent the transport of British troops across the Channel and to invade England. Despite the occupation of Zeebrugg and Ostend the Germans have go fae failed to interrupt and transport, andr Dr Andrae foresees that the British Admiralty wili bs able to devise means to close the Channel to German submarines. Therefore Calais, and Calais, alone, will serve Germany’s objects, for otherwise the freedom of the seas can be guaranteed only if Germany maintains a larger Navy than Great Britain’s which cannot seriously be con 4 emplated or succeeds in organising and maintaining a coalition of Naval Powers with the same purpose. This third alternative he considers quite impossible. As expected, the Chancellor’s Press has already begun to explain away tha Kaiser’s proclamation to the Army and Navy. The Frankfurter Zeitungf points out that it says nothing about vengeance or annibiiatiion or annexation, and begs that its moderation may be copied by the “hot-blooded patriots who lack a cool head and also by the cool-headed persons who merely pretend to have hot blood.’’ This is an interesting admission that the “contempt and auger” displayed towards the Entente reply by many German papers is merely artificial.