PREPARING FOR THE WAR.

Taihape Daily Times, 8 April 1918, Page 7

PREPARING FOR THE WAR.

"During tlie year following the last Moroccan crisis, the feeling has taken hold of practically the whole of the. German nation that a great European war is the only means by which we could hope to obtain free scope for the pursuit of our world policy."— Deutsche Weltpolitik, 191 3 - "Let it be the task, then, of our diplomacy so to shuffle the cards that we may be attacked by France." "If we wish to bring about an attack we must initiate an active policy, which, without attacking France, will so prejudice her interests or those of England that both these States would feel'themselves compelled to attack us. Opportunities for such procedure are offered both in Africa and in Europe."—Bernhardi, Germany and the Next War (1911).

"We maintain, to-day more than ever, that Germany and Austria-Hun-gary, even with the most honourable desire for peace, cannot avoid war with their eastern and western neighbours; that a frightful, decisive struggle will be forced upon them."— Alldeutsche Blatter, March 14, 1914. "Hence we intend to absorb one after another all the provinces which neighbour on Prussia. We will successfully annex Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Northern Switzerland, then Trieste and Venice, finally Northern France from the Sambre to the Loire. This programme we fearlessly pronounce. It is not the work of a mad : man. The empire we itend to found will be no Utopia. We have ready to hand the means of founding it, and no coalition in the world can stop us."— Bronsart von Schellendorf, quoted by H. A. L. Fisher in The War, Its Causes, and Issues, 1914.

"If our enemies are really nr to pay an indemnity, for what purpose, then, have we territory of economic value in our hands conquered with our blood?—Count von Westarp, in the Reichstag.. Feb. 27, 1917.

"Anybody who knows the presen; state of things in Belgian industry Trill agree with me that it must ■■ at least some years—assuming that Belgium is independent at all —before Belgium can ever think of competing with us in the world market. And anybody who has travelled, as I have done, through the occupied district < of France, will agree with me that so much damage has been done to industrial property that no one need be a prophet in order to say that it will take more than ten years before we need think of France as a competitor or ofthe re-establishment of French industry."—Deputy Beumer in the Prussian Diet, 1917.