The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 1927.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 March 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 1927.

THE WILL TO PEACE. The invitation issued to the Powers by the United States to confer again at Washington upon the possibility of limiting armaments still further is a significant sign of the times. Happily for the world at large, the air is full of suggestions and protestations and prayers for peace, and no doubt

the feeling: that they indicate is both widespread and sincere. One of our foremost publicists. Wickham Steed, has given a great deal of prominence lately to this question. A few weeks ago a striking article of his in the “Observer” on “The Dimensions of Peace” emphasised the necessity for an intelligent comprehension of all nations of each other’s points of view. More particularly referring to Britain and Germany, he laid stress upon the lack of sympathetic understanding that still divides the two peoples. And in the latest issue of his “Review of Reviews'’ Steed returns to this topic with the grave question. “Does Germany want peace?” Summarising his impressions of Germany, gathered from a recent tour in that country, this widelv ex-

perienced and far-seeing observer pleads for the removal of all causes and influences that might gratuitously stir up German feeling against other nations, and thus strengthen a war of destruction and vengeance. One of the statements made by Wickham Steed, which impressed a North Island writer most forcibly, at the time, was his confen-

lion that the I utor-A Iliad Military Control C • anmissiens mi ght well be with, drawn, because “the purpose whicl their continued presence in Germain could serve is less weighty than tin ill-feeling which their presence serves to keep alive.” This certainly sounds will, and I was duly impressed by it. And then I read the letter on Ger-

many's secret military preparations sent, to the “Times” i.-ervitly hv Rri-gadier-General Morgan, who i- a member of the Rrilish delegation on the Inter-Allied Council at Berlin. General .Morgan, one of our greatest authorities on international law. has been in Germany almost ever since the pence, and he lias played a courageous ami honourable part in endeavouring to

smooth awav causes of friction and effect some sort, of eoneilation between the lon peoples. His letter deals with the ‘‘fortresses" on Germany’s eastern frontier, for which in 1920 the German War Office demanded 1 1 'OO guns, heavy and light, hut all mobile. This artillery would hare enabled them

to equip .'ls army corns in excess of

their peace requirements, and to male

thesc armies stronger ill .guns than they were in If>l I. And when the In-tel-Allied Commission came to look into the construction and location of the "fortresses” that were to he thus equipped, what did they find ? General Morgan tells us that II out of II of tin' “fortresses.” which in terms of the treaty might be maintained “in their original state of defence.'' were dimply dismantled earthworks, some dating hack to the sixteenth mid seventeenth centuries, “wholly obsolete, indeed, militarily speaking, prehistoric,” and of no defensive value whatever. Yet up to a month ago the German Government was still struggling with the Inter-Allied Control Commission for the recognition of these “fortresses” and their artillery equipment While the Gorman Government is still ready' to play into the hands of the militarists by using disgraceful and treacherous pretexts to evade the treaty we can only hope that the “will to peace” in Germany may strengthen in course of time. But we now have Era nee seeking to defend her fronteirs, and so the great game of provocation goes on. Ally excess by one

nation seems to be imitated by the other, and immediately the way is paved for distrust. The will to pence rests with the good faith and good works of ilie nations. There may he some hope of a better understanding hv the conference proposed, but nations such as Germany and France so disposed to the military life, are difficult to emit ml by resolutions. Even the world ailliauce, which the League ol Nations offers is not sufficient to embrace all countries, and we find the United States though ostensibly TTisposed to peace, standing out of such an alliance. The international mood is difficult Ci control as it. is difficult to understand, hut it is high time a belter understanding was being reached with a view to the realisation of a real world peace.