SEA POWER.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 October 1923, Page 3

SEA POWER.

WHAT EUROPE FORGETS. LONDON, Kept. IN. In a siiee. h made during his triumphant tour ot Wales, Mr Lloyd George deplored the epidemic of depredation oT British strength. which, lie saiii. was sweeping over the Continent to-day. "Because we have cut dnu n our Army, onr Navy, and our Air force, and an- returning to the habits ol peaceable life, other nations seem to forget what the might oi Britain is, capable of once it i- roused.’’ They had forgotten that hut lor the intervention of Britain they would he vassal Stales to-day. Because Britain was the only country that did not swagger thai -ho won the war, they lorgot what she did in the war. He was rather -.hocked the other day to read a speech from the french Premier in which he rather suggested that, had it not been for Eranee. Germany would have completely wined us out. I low could she have got la-re ' Would Imr army have -wutn aero--!' Napoleon.

• the greate-t warrior Europe ever saw, 1 could not get here : how was the Kaiser going tii gel at us 1 - We had io put mosi of our elfort-- into building up and equipping a gigantic army, to sr,'France ami Belgium from complete annihilation. We seal over to France and Belgium lour or live milium ol first-rate men to save Europe from despotism. M. Poincare said that if the Germans had got through and occupied Paris and Calais they would have bombarded us. In that case we -lioiiid have had the whole of our resources to deal with that menace. "We should have concentrated all our great armaments on making, that pari occupied hv tlm Germans absolutely uninhabitable.” said Mr Lloyd George, "and we sh mid have done it ." Great Britain was mil as impotent as our (’outiueutal friends scented to imagine. This was m l a quarrelsome country. Greal Britain preferred pern e with her neighbours. Put In- did not like | fa- way in v. Inch Great Britain was treated as being a f no account. She put forth a gigantic ollort. am, without her it would have been impos-

sible to -crura triumph. If any peed eaum in any quarter again the coiihtuv would soon forget ii - disputes. We should he one people -tending lor Must rrngtli, honour, maie-iy. and I i’e of our native land. ALLIES SAVED BY RRITI.-H NAVY. Mr Lloyd George, in hi- speech er Swansea, reminded Great Britain and] the world in general of tlm decisive part played by the British Navy in the w a r. "I want.” lie said, "to uni in a word for the Navy. lhe value ol the service- it rendered to tlm Allies has net horn -uflleieutly appreciated even In this country, hut ill loroigii countries il is rumple!elv ignored anil forgotten. 1 sav here deliberately, from a full inside knowledge ot the laris, watching the thing day by day toi four and a-half years, that Imd ii mu been for the British Navy, the Alhewould have been smashed in the lir-t year of the war. i "Field-Marshal Eecli -and there iuo individual to whom the Allies own. a- much its to that brilliant gruel nl could not rettli-e the importance ol tlm Navy. And that,” added Mr Lloyd George, "i- why they will never bo a maritime coontiv. Britain is the only count rv m f.urone. except h-cun-diimvia, which has the sea-son.-e. Th - British Navy had won almost always, not by material, not liy sun-noritv in ships or guns, lull by superior seamanship. The Alii'— "'’vet’ reali-a! the importance m lhe Navy. H the I’ l '* t ;.Hi New had not been there the command of the seas would have P’.t— ed ever to tlm German and Austrian fleet. That would have moam that not a -ingle soldier could have passed over from ibis eon lit rv lo France. A FACT not advertised. Mr Lloyd George said there was in'" fact which lu’d ret leu adv-rti-oL in in< tic" American Anuv poured m to Europe between the end ol Matin nod September. He remembered that e,l tile I lav of a great di-a-ter be s-ni

!,,„g li'legram to President AVilson. calling his attention to the fact that the Herman Army oil the Russian front was di-engag'd because pence had Icen made with En'-ia. and tlm Hermans were untiring from the Russian side . : n i-i Fram e. [(,, a I'eo!v from President 'A d- ■ OM ill twentv-four hour-, saying -that he lt .freed to the proposals wo made Rj vc could find the ships. AYe called j all (he men here responsible for bring-i ing the essentials of life go our and said to them: ‘TTow much food is i there in this cniintrv-’ Tl-v ■aa':j •Ed- two or three umnlh-.' 1 said to j Ii; 'Are you prepai’f'd to take the j , j,k of taking your shins away from j carrying fond in order to move men over from America Tlmy said : That j, your risk.’ I said: ‘Very well, we will take it.' AYe carried more than half ,’f the American miFF -v- that came ,»\er tn tlii- country in Rriti-h ships That was what made the difference." i