The Hokitika Guradian SATURDAY, JULY 15th, 1922. THE WEEK.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 July 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guradian SATURDAY, JULY 15th, 1922. THE WEEK.

Attention has been drawn of late to the European crisis by the reports from Berlin of the curious fluctuations in the Yfllue of the mark. Of this the QQiw#qvi#nce is aaid to bo u conviction? in certain quarters, that the Cwnuan

Government is aiming at establishing the proof of Germany’s inability to pay the reparations without incurring national bankruptcy. This conviction is strangely at variance with several accounts that reach us from time to time of the prosperity of German industry. To the average observer of events, these contradictions are very mystifying. What Mr Lloyd George thinks of the situation is made manifest by bis reply to the Lancashire deputations which implored him the other day not to interfere with the prospects of the Lancashire output of cotton yarns. If, the deputation pleaded, the Government enforced the Act for safeguarding British industries, the result would he far greater injury to the yarn trade than could be justified hv benefit to the glove trade. T o Piitnc Minister rose above the oc (••sion in his reply. He had realised, no said, that there was a grave menace to British industry all round. The German woikmen. he said, lie was convinced. were prospering at a wage very far below the rate of wages ruling ill England. The position was not natural, lie declared, meaning evidently that, from various causes—artificial, of course.—whether brought about by deliberate action of wire-pullers, official or otherwise, such as arc referred to in tip above-quoted reports from Berlin he did not say—an unnatural situation ha<| been produced. That position was so serious that, in his opinion, the only refuge for British industry might he the enforcement of the Act referred to by the Lancashire deputations, not as a tariff wall, hut ns an embankment against a very deluge. The reply throws a weird light over the mysterious region so keenly exploited by publicist; dim ing the years that have suc- • ceded the war period.

Tuk situation at The Hague comes here naturally into view. Ts there, one nsks, a conspiracy between Germany and Russia, with the object of rehabilitation after the war, at th ( . i cense of the rest of the world? That there is an agreement between the Governments of the two countries is after the revelations at Genoa, beyond doubt. That agreement was described by Mr Lloyd George a.s a project for the reinforcement of a needy Russia by an angry Germany. That may he right, or it may he wrong. But, without going into that question, one can see that if the agreement between these two Governments stands, it may as it is intended, facilitate the obtaining by Russia of substantial hoij-j front t..e Allies, in addition to the financial help to he got from the granting to German subjects of valuable concessions in the matter of the undoubtedly rich natural resources of Russia. The Allies have refused to deal with Russia at nil, ns has America, unless the national debts of Russia are recognised and the private property of many nationals, looted by the Soviets under tlie sanction of Marxian principles, Is restored. The Soviets on their side, aie prepared to make some concession on these | oints if a considerable loan is granted them, say, of two hundred millions sterling. The terms offered hv the Soviets rather more than border on the absurd, and appear to he brnwnl.v impudent. It is even suspected that tip. money derived from this loan may he designed, not for purposes of ,e (instruction, hut for maintaining the Soviet armies, estimated at two million trained soldiers, for campaign against the West in alliance with Germany.

hiii.ni: is quite enough in the mysteries nf tile European situation to justify grave disquiet. It i s freely said that, m the event of the worst imaginable. German public opinion will never take to Bolshevist methods. Recent events have .evenled a certain leaning towards Bolshevist methods, it is true. But that these are no different from some of the happenings in the great hicueli Revolution, which were in no nay of the order of the anarchy nowadays called Bolshevik, is probably true. At ajiy rate, the history of the German nost-war Republic supports that view to a considerable extent. It helps us to see that German Labour will not. in the bulk, ally itself with Marxian Bolshevism. In considering I tie Hague situation, one lias to ( (insider itriiisli Labour, too. and also American, for America may. without being present, he n considerable factor at The Hague. The refusal of English labour to join the Moscow, International is. in this connection, very suggestive. Henderson, and others were very strong for such refusal, blit the strongest of the hostile advocacy came trom Ramsay Macdonald, who Had been to Russia, and discussed the question on the spot of the affiliation of l abour, aml had returned radically hostile to any arrangement with the Moscow International. It was a revoludtionary organisation in the worst sense, and he warned British Labour to have none of it. The American repudiation was just as uncompromising? It is true that Bolshevist elements have broken out terribly in* recent happenings in America, hut as yet no signs hare appeared pointing to this as the departure of anything more than an inconsiderable minority in ruthless possession of power. On the whole, then, The Hague may he regarded as uiilkely to show any great increase pf Bolshevik power in the world.