Perce or War?

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 32, 1 August 1911, Page 5

Perce or War?

GERMANY'S COMPENSATION. f SLRRANGING A NEW TREATY. By Gable—Press Association—Copyright. Paris, July 30. Sir Francis Bertie, British Ambassador, has conferred with M. De Selves, French Minister 1 or Foreign Affairs. Le Temps states that they discussed what portion of the Congo France would be prepared to cede to .Germany in exchange for a free hand in Morocco. M. De Selves, after a Cabinet Council, said that he was hopeful that a new treaty would be concluded satisfying the parties interested. THE KAISER AND HIS MINISTERS. STRENGTHENING THE "MAILED FIST" POLICY. Berlin, July 30. ■Herr von Hollweg, Imperial Chancellor, and Herr von Kiderlin-Waechter, Minister for Foreign Affairs, joined theKaiser aboard the Hohenzollern. ■ The inspired- press • predict that the visit will strengthen " Herr KiderlinWaechter'sAgadir policy. , CONCLUSION OF THE INTERVIEW. AGREEMENT WITH MINISTERS. Received 31, 10 p.m. Berlin, July 3L The Kaiser's interview with his Ministers has concluded. The Frankfurter Zeitung is assured from a competent source that the Kaiser thoroughly agrees with the action of his Ministers. PREVENTING HOSTILITIES. FRENCH AND GERMAN WORKERS. Received 31, 10.30 p.m. Berlin, July 31. In welcoming a French trade unionist, a Socialist demonstration pledged them-: selves to do all in their power to pre- 1 rent the crisis eventuating in hostilities. The Verwaerts, commenting, declares that German workmen will show that international solidarity is not an empty phrase. TRIPLE AND DUAL ALLIANCES. OBLIGATIONS OF THE POWERS. ' * .■ There are two great European alliances, the Triple Alliance, between Germany, Austria-Hungary and France, and i the Dual Alliance of France and Russia, wfiich was negpti&ted? as-a counterblast; England haa developed friendly with France and Russia, and has negoliated territorial understandings with both Powers. It has been rumored that a secret military convention exists between Great Britain and France. The Triple Alliance is a defensive alliance between Germany, Austria and Italy, formed in 1-879. The text of the agreement between Germany and Austria was published in 1888. The text of the other two treaties—those between Austria and Italy, and Italy and Germany—is not known. The general drift was that if France attacked Germany or Italy, those two Powers should act in alliance against her. If Russia attacked J Germany or Austria, both were to act against Russia. If Russia and France together attacked any one of the three ■Powers, all three were to combine against these two countries. The alliance was renewed in 1891 by the Government of the Marchese di Rudini for a period of 12 years. That was its second renewal. It was renewed for the third time in 1902, one year before its term of extinction, by the Zanardelli Government, of which Signor Prinetti was the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The term of this renewal was for six or twelve years; 'that is to say, if the treaty were not denounced in 1907, five years after its actual renewal, it should be considered as holding good for the full term of twelve years. The treaty was not denounced by the Giolitti Ministry, with Signor Tittoni Minister for Foreign Affairs, and therefore is in force until 1014, twelve years after its third renewal by Prinetti. The Dual Alliance between France and Russia was proclaimed on August -20, 1897, on board the French ship Pothuau, whilst at Cronstadt with the President of the French Republic, M. Felix Laure, who was paying a visit to the Czar. Both the Czar and the President spoke of France and Russia being "friendly and allied nations." BRITAIN AND GERMANY. ADDRESS BY MR. E. TREGEAR. '"War or Peace?" -was the subject of an address delivered by Mr. E. Tregear at the City Men's Brotherhood at Wellington on Sunday afternoon. The Bpeaker said he was not there as an advocate of military conscription nor as ft member of a non-military league. He only wished t» put before them questions as he saw them so that they could judge for themselves. He had been a fighting man himself, as a frontiersman, and he hadn't any patience with people who said, ''l'm a doormat; please trample on me." When he lookedaround, it seemed to him that the best example of the whole mess the world had got into to-day was that of the Western States of America severity years ago, with their lawlessness, each man a law unto himself. Time passed and law and order crept in. To-day the nations were armed with Dreadnoughts, mistrusting each other as formerly those in the Wild West mistrusted each other. His purjpose was to show that all these weapons were unnecessary; in fact, :i policeman was a much l>etter man than a soldier. It was not so easy for -German to disarm as it was for Great Britain, which, since the Norman conquest, had never l>een trodden by a foreign army. The result was that, safe within her own little circle, the idea of individual freedom had had time to flourish. Wherever Britain had conquered she allowed the people to have their freedom. Britain's greatest trouble in India was the desire to give people freedom who were not ready for it. GERMANY'S POSITION. Germany had been in a different position. Tt had been passed over by conquering armies. Germany had the idea that there was no freedom for the individual until the collective freedom of the whole nation was assured. When war came there was no argument that would induce the German to desert his flag. The German people had not got the power to say whether there should be war or not. The officers of the army were almost all scions of the GermaS aristocracy. The young German aristo-

crat would not have anywhere to go unless it were for the army. The soldiers did not want to fee disbanded; then there were the contractors who expected big profits out of a war, and there was a certain section of the press to wham iit would -be a delight to have war. The wtbole question resolved itself into one of, economics. The economic reason for war between Germany and Britain was that the competitive system was a failure, it could not keep on very m-ueh longer. All the talk they heard" of expansion was that more trade was want««l and more profits. England's customers with freetrade soon became her competitors. Bismarck saw that before half a century was oyer there would be an enormous industrial struggle, and very likely a military struggle, so Germany began to get ready. Millions of her men were always kept up to the mark for fighting. Her mercantile marine was manned by Germans; Britain's, to a lange extent, *by Dagoes. The German leaders foresaw that there would be an enormous struggle for the industrial supremacy of the world. It had got to be either Britain or Germany on top. THE OUTLOOK. At the present moment, with the possibility of war between Britain and Germany, English oonsols are down; French and German consols have fallen. Germany's trade was -built up with borrowed money and mostly with English -money, and immediately' Germany began to suffer the whole world suffered. War to-day was different to wa'r in the olden days when; they could levy tribute upon a conquered countrv. &>me of them might -take' skies with the man whose son had been taken to prison for failing to enrol in Wellington, but there were enormous economic conditions which made the question so involved that thev could mot be settled bv tiny issues like that. If they were determined to stand. by t>he English flag, then he thought they really ougfot to be ready to do something .more than was bein/r done now. Supposing it were possible for the occasion to arise, were the men of New Zealand .content to have their children stand between them and the foe? If not, were thev going to try arms? Whose arms? Their wives' arms? It was all nonsense to say thev were as well prepained as the Boers, because they hadn't got any weapons.