ENGLAND ENDANGERED.

NZ Truth, Issue 110, 27 July 1907, Page 1

ENGLAND ENDANGERED.

Australia a Possible Yankee Possession.

Por some weeks now an International Conference has been sitting at The Hague pretendedly preparing for the. promotion of peace— that is to say, the. representatives of • all the Christian nations of the world hase heen sitting, under a strong polile guard, ostensibly making arrangements for an attempt to introduce, gradually, the principle of peace for which the Prince of Peace laid down His life two thousand years ago. In reality, hqwever, these representatives of the most powerful and most destructive of the Governments of the world have done nothing of the sort. All that they have been engaged m is m the laying dowa of rules for the wholesale murder of their peoples. The Governments of the Great Christian, nations amuse themselves with the most ghastly and devilish of all games, the game called war, m which the people are used as pawns m the game, and are slaughtered m the most appalling manner that human ingenuity can devise, m order that they may promote the political projects of their rulers.

There did happen to be one man at that Conference who did not believe m war, and who sought to bring about its immediate abolition by the peoples of the world being induced to lay down their arms, but— oh, horror !— he was an Atheist, and his Atheism greatly . shocked the o^her members of the Conference, who were still more shocked by. the fact- that he was, like the Russian savant, Prince Krapotkine, an Anarchist— -that is to say, he hoped to see a social state arise m which there would be no necessity for Governments. The official Christian murderers of the peoples of the world were greatly shocked at this man's want of piety, but they were still more shocked at his want of belief m the existence of Governments, for, if Governments were abolished, what would become of the- diplomats and other governmental functionaries forming The B.a?ue_ Conference ? Ato, what indeed? No wonder, therefore, that the members of the Conference informed the delegate from gallant lvttle Cuba that his presence was not welcome at that Conference. Naturally, he would not be welcome to the human beasts of prey, the- vultures presiding over the destinies of mankind, whose representatives were at that Conference.

What has The Hague Conference 'done?.'. Nothing but lay down some additional rules as to the principles upon which, they shall slaughter the people whom they pretend to represent. Instead of having done anything to postpone -war, what they have done is likely .to hasten the oay when some European Governments—having become tired of slaying South African white farmers, the courageous colonists, whether Spanish or half-bred, m the Philippines, or the , yellow-skinned natives of pome Mongolian country— will strike %A, one of the white peoples of Europe. Instead of making war more difficult, the members of The Hague Conference has been engaged m facilitating the playing of the game s 0 as to bring, nearer to us the day when there will be an outbreak of a great European war. While they are doing this, the rulers of Germany are getting ready for the conflict m a manner which fills with alarm some of the greatest naval experts an England, for, if England 1 , which has excited the animosity* of the , Governments of most of the countries of Europe cannot maintain its naval supremacy, then good-bye to the maintenance of the British Empire.

The leading Liberal weekly review 5n England is the "Spectator," which occupies a position ia the lite*rary world similar to that occupied by the "Saturday Review" as a weekly organ of Toryism. This review has recently made a most startling statement, which is that, m spite of the fact that ,the German Government is yearly increasing; the amount. of money spent on its fleet, and has'aleady brought it up to a figjhttoß strength that endangers the maritime supremacy of Britain, England is unready for naval warfare, afcd is likely to 1 be taken by surprise at any moment. The Channel Fleet was described m the Hou*?e of {Lords the other flay aB iostautly,

ready for service.. It' was so descrih*ed by ' " Lord '• Tweedmouth, the First Lord of the- Admiralty, yet one 'of the principal supporters of this very Liberal Government now says that it is weaker than Germany's fleet, which is kept m a state of preparedness for instant use, ahd. that the Home Fleet, which is intended' to be auxiliary to the Oha-nnel Fleet, could not be made ready for some days.

Great Britain- depends, principally, upon three fleets, the Channel Fleet, the Home Fleet, and the Atlantic Fleet. The most important of these fleets is the Channel Fleet, which is alleged) to be ready to put to sea at any moment. This fleet is, however, less numerous than the corresponding German fleet, which is also ready to put to sea at a moment's notice. The German fleet stationed m the North Sea is called the "Aktive Schlachfcflotte." The strengths of the British Channel Fleet And the German "Aktive Schlachtflotte" are given as follows :— . CHANNEL FLEET. GERMAN FLEET. Battleships (li). Battleships (16). Africa,.16,350 tons Kaiser Frederic]. IU., Britannia, 16,350 10,974 tons Commonwealth, 16,350 Kaiser Wilbelm dor Dominion, 16,350 Grosse. 10,974 Hibernia, 16,350 K. Karl der Grosse, Hindustan, 16,350 10,974 Illustrious, 14,900 K. Wilhelm H., 10,974 Jupiter, 14,900 Wittelsbach, 11,643 King Edward VH., JZahringen, 11,643 16,350 . - Wettiri, 11,643 New Zealand, 16,350 Mecklenberg, 11,6.13 Ocean, 12,950 Braunschweig, 12,997 Swiftsuro, 11.S0O Elsasg, 12,937 Triumph, 11,800 Deutschland, 13,200 Vengeance, 12,950 Pruessen, 12,997 Hessen, 12.997 . <- Brandenberg, 9,874 Kui\ Friedrich Wilhelm, 9,874 liothingen, 12,997. Armoubeb Cruisees Armoured Cruisers (4). (3). - Argyll, 10,850 tons Friedrich Carl, 8,858 Good Hope, 14,100 Yorck, 9,350 . Hampshire, 10,850 Boon, 9,350. Roxburgh, 10,850. Protected Cruisers Protected Cruisers (3). (8). Juno, 5,600 tons 31itz, 3,400 Talbot, 5,600 Hamburg, 3,200 Topaz, 3.000 Pfeil, 3.740 Amazone, 2,618 Ariadne, 2,618 Medusa, 2,618 Frauenlob,-2,65? Arcona, 2,657. • ft ■ '_■ These 'figures, while they show that the German fleet for immedd ate fighting purposes is. numerically stronger 'than .that {of .Great -Britain, yet, show, apparently, ■ that the British ships are more powerful and formidable than those qf Germany. We, howeveri, cannot always trust official figures, especially official naval or military figures. Moreover, numbers count. . It is quite evident that the Channel Fleet is not looked upon m England as impregnable, for the revelation made by the "Spectator" as to the umpreparedness of the; Home Fleet has • created consternation m Great Britain, and Lord Charles Beresford, who is looked upon as England's greatest "sea-dog," was summoned, to an ; immediate conference with the Admiralty authorities as to the exact condition of'affairs. Whatever Lord Beresford may 'have said to the Lords of the Admiralty, the fact is plain enough to everybody that England's position is one of extreme peril, as the "Spectator" very properly proclaims.

.Great Britain's ''first line of defence" has always been the Navy. If this be destroyed, then she would have ,to rely chiefly upon such good fortune (from the British standpoint) as that which destroyed the Spanish Armada to secure her from invasion. If some serious quarrel should occur between Germany and Great Britain, so serious as to lead to a declaration of war between Britain and Germany, an attempt would be made to destroy the .Channel Fleet. .With the Atlantic Fleet m the vicinity of Gibraltar, and the Home Fleet not ready, all would then be clear for the German fleet t© descend upon Britain and attempt its invasion. The- opinion of many experts is that an invasion could he accomplished if the English fleet were not able to offer sufficient resistence to the invader. -England would then, indeed, have to contend against the German Army, which is the finest fighting machine m the world. Parlous would be the plight of thc British Empire and peculiar the position of Australasia- Australia and New v : Zealand "would rapidly be deserted^. by .British warships, for these wpuld naituraliy pasti to .tfoe. assistance 61 "the heart

of the Empire. .Australia, unless she had a navy of her own to defend het coasts, would be at tlie mercy of any armed cruiser ot a hostile Power that chose, to strike at. any of her seaport , cities'. ' Then.^ho_^'lmperiai'' insects that are aMays4 a ; flame with indignation at any proposal that Australia . should... :^ijHi-'%,^nayy.' of her own, defend herself 'irom'; invasion would be the first to' howl about the danger. to their precious "proputty." 1 Tbat is the possibility that we •have -to face. In the event of the crushing of the naval might of. Great Britain, we should either ' find ourselves .Subjected to the military, mijajht of same foreign country, that . -wo'tild insist upon filling up this country, with a colored population, or 'we, should find ourselves compelled to a,ppeal to the United States to assist us with some of the sixteen, battleships that she is now despatching j to the Pacific as a hint to Japan that the United) States is not an unimportant, out-of-the-way, little country with which it is safe for Japan to quarrel.' If we appealed to the United States, it would only he with the result that, we should be expected to become, a kind of overflow depot for the adventurous spirits amonn; thc people of the United States (which perhaps would not matter much}, and that we should eventually become an American territory like the Philippines or the Hawaiian Islands. Thus we are. faced with the possibility oo s heing, one day, a coun- ; try that would be treated as the Americans have treated the wretched, if brave, people of ths Philippines. In order to avert this calamity it is, of course, necessary to have sufficient people m Australia to "defend it properly. Still more important it is, however, to have t-hfe people employed, and if men were brought here without, at the same time, land being thrown open to them, and to those already here, . by means of which they could maintain themselves, then immigration woiuld be a source of weakness rather than of strength.