A SCHEME THAT MISCARRIED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1693, 31 March 1917, Page 2

A SCHEME THAT MISCARRIED.

AN article published by the French newspaper Le Matin in April, 1914, is of interest as showing the trend of German naval thought with regard to the future of Australia and New Zealand. The. correspondent of Le Matin in Basle, Switzerland, relates that in April, 1914, Admiral Brewsing, of the German Navy lectured at Basle under the auspices of the German Navy League. He pictured the next war, and assumed confidently that Italy and Japan would be allied with Germany. “Italy’s task,” he said, “will be twofold —her fleet will neutralise the power of the French fleet. For this purpose it is of ample strength, even without the help of Austria. As to her army, from Tripoli it will march on Egypt. Along the coast are magnificent paved roads, constructed by the Romans, Italy will despatch 120,000 men, who will find

io difficulty in wiping out the 13,000 English quartered in Egypt. The iescrt, the climate, the Arabs, the British fleet, were as nothing in the ves of the warlike admiral. As to

Japan, he revealed to his audience Unit, in spite of her seeming alliance will) Britain, she was strongly averse to British policy. There is no doubt that in case of war the Japanese fleet would bear an expeditionary force into the South Pacific to take possession of Australia and New Zealand. Will Germany’s aims he confined to a merely successful war ? “No,” continued Admiral Brewsing. “The 80,000,000 souls we shall shortly number need colonies —a vast colonial empire. We shall not repeat the scandalous Agadir fiasco, that shameful business wherein we had to renounce our designs on Morocco before an English threat. We must increase, nay double, our navy, in order to conquer and defend the oversea possessions of which we have need. We should consider no sacrifice too heavy for that. ‘On for God and our country!’ as old Blucher said 100 years ago.”