GERMANY'S. PLANS.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 March 1918, Page 3

GERMANY'S. PLANS.

CONQUEST NOT HEE AIM. WANTS TO KEEP ORDER. AMSTERDAM, February 26 Count von Hertling, in a speech to Reichstag, to-day, said that every durable peace must be built upon justice. He agreed with President Wilson's declaration that nations and provinces ought not to be shifted from one State to another. He rejoiced in President Wilson's statement rejecting the idea of the balance of pawer. Germany's advance eastward was only aimed at securing peace with Russia > Her aim was not conquest. She merely wanted to restore order without fixing herself in Esthonia or Livonia. As to Courland and Lithuania ho had nothing to say. The people there were already successfully creating self-gov-erning bodies. Respecting Roumania he would state that Germany must and would make friends for all time. He doubted the utility of public speeches by statesmen but the cause of peace could be furthered by private discussion between responsible representatives of the belligerents. The question of Belgium should be discussed in a friendly manner in order to arrive at a • understanding. Germany had repeatedly declared that she did not think of retaining Belgium, but Germany must be protected against Belgium being used as a deploying ground for enemy machinations