Great Britain

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 39, 15 October 1915, Page 5

Great Britain

THE LORDS. United Press Association. London, October 14. In the House of Lords, Lord Crewe made a similar statement to Sir Edward Urey’s. He deprecated a debate, but nevertheless Lord Morley expressed tiie opinion that, in view of the campaigns in France and at the Dardanelles, and tlie dispersing of forces, it was over-much to embark on a new campaign. Lord Milner said that the information conveyed in Sir Edward Urey’s and Lord Crewe’s speeches was less than any intelligent student of foreign affairs <*mld give. He suggested the withdrawal of the troops at Gallipoli. Lord Lansdowne, replying, refused to make a statement about the Dardanelles, and said that it would be unpatriotic to force the Government to a fuller disclosure. He added that the attitude of Greece was still not fully defined. Lord .Uibblesdale said that now a situation had arisen in the Balkans, whereby the Government, with dignity, might get out of the unfortunate adventure at the Dardanelles. After Lord Crewe had again deprecated discussion the debate closed. Lord Milner stated: Whatever evils resulted from the disastrous Dardanelles situation, the Balkan developments gave an opportunity, which might not recur, for withdrawing from the Dardanelles enterprise, a successful completion of which was now hopeless, He did not want to press the Government for reasons, but lie bad heard statements that an abandonment would have had a bad effect on our prestige in the East. He could not help thinking whether it would not have a worse effect if persisted in, and the enterprise ended in complete disaster. He felt that we had gone on too long living from hand to mouth in regard to our policy and strategy. Our diplomacy in the Balkans, starting as it did with a clean record, was profoundly disappointing when we found States we had befriended drifting to the control of State's whom the Balkans hitherto regarded with suspicion.