Grout Britain

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 61, 10 November 1915, Page 5

Grout Britain

DEBATE IN THE LORDS. I United Press Association. (Received 8.25 a.m.) London, November D. Lord Loveburn said he regretteS' that the legitimate sources of infor- \ mat ion were choked up and a veil cast over manv of our misadventures. Information was lacking in regard to tho loss of Admira], Cradock's squadron, the Antwerp expedition, the loss of the throe cruisers in the North Sea, the Dardanelles expedition and the shortage of munitions. These were not ordinary inevitable mishaps of war. They meant incapacity somewhere. In his opinion, the formation of a Coalition Government was a misfortune for the country, because, it deprived the country of that re-, strained criticism from responsible men and substituted irregular, irresIponsiblo, ami even mischievous criticism. The Government should not hold out expectations to the Nations whOj wore confronted with an extreme peril unless they were sure that they were in the position to make good by timely and .sufficient force. The Government had no right to commit this country beyond its resources. It was no'exaggeration to say that if the war

went on, indefinitely revolution and anarchy might well follow. Unless collective common-sense prevailed Europe might become a wilderness peopled by only old men. women and children. The idea of a small Cabinet reporting to a full Cabinet ivas unsatisfactory, and would merely secure a maximum of delay with a minimum

of efficiency. Lord Milner declared that the war news sent to this country had been seriously misused and constantly doctored in an optimistic sense. If we had been prepared against contingencies, which were a likelihood for months past, it would have been possible to have given Serbia .six weeks ago such assistance as to enable her to Vesist the combined attack of the Central Powers and Bulgaria, with reasonable prospects of complete success, and at the same, time we would havo carried Greece with us. Even when Greece left u s in the lurch we could, if we had acted with promptness, put such a force in Serbia as to save the south and southwest from destruction. On the contrary we seemed paralysed until General Joffre helped us to make up our mi-nls. The Dardanelles should have been determined by military considerations alone. To bring politics into tlio question was to court disaster. If our prestige had suffered in the Dardanelles, the way to recover it was to do better elsewhere. The,v*CpyeT.n-;; ment could not expect in debate with acute diplomatic negotiations while they were in progress. The Ministry unanimously desired to give as much information as the naval and military authorities would allo.V. Only cables to and from the country Were censored, and no compulsion existed as regards leading articles or military correspondence that was published in the leading newspapers. He thought the system worked well, but he thought it might be that the naval and military authorities took an unduly narrow view of the points submitted to them. The Government were now consulting the leading military authorities with a view to better co-ordination regarding the supply of news. Lord Courtney said that the situation at the Dardanelles was a sitissfcion of an impossible adventure. We commanded the sea, but could not get the German fleet out. There was the .same pause and the same impossibility as in the military situation. Thero must bo some escape from this impasse.

] .Lord Curzon accepted the argument that it was unwise to embark on military operations without attaching the fullest weight of expert opinion. It was not always possible to dissociate the military from the political view. The Government had sent a man to the Eastern theatre who could advise not in the capacity of a politician, but in that of the country's greatest soldier. He condemned the cruel slanderous attacks on Ministers, especially Mr Asquith and Sir Edward Grey. He acclaimed the hitter's ability and integrity, but because two King's in the Balkans bad disappointed the expectations, the public had bespattered him. Referring to the suspension of the Globe, he said the paper bad untruly stated that Lord Kitchener had resigned, and the paper bad assigned a, false, malicious reason. The offence was the worse because if. "' a * made ! when Serbia was in agony and war? appealing for help, and when the whole East was watching for England's action. The Globe even dared to repeat the statements on Saturday, declaring Ithat the Government's denial was unitrue, and the Government accordingly authorised that paper's suspension.

THE GLOBE NEWSPAPER. (Received 9.50 a.m.) London, November 9. Xo steps have yet been taken to prosecute the Globe paper. An unpublished edition says that the paper ,is calmly awaiting developments.