The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1912. THE OTHER SIDE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 177, 25 January 1912, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1912. THE OTHER SIDE.

11l yesterday's issue we presented the case of the Liberals who are so strongly s opposed to the policy of the British Foreign Office and are clamoring for the retirement of Sir Edward Grey. According to them, Germany has good grounds for complaint against Britain. As a result of the Foreign Minister's policy, they say we are preventing Germany from attaining that oversea expansion, that place in the sun, to which she has a right. These ideas are combatted by the Conservative press, who hold that if it is the desire of Germany to have more oversea possessions it should be the object of all friends of peace to do their "best to gratify the German wish. But they assert that'the present Government have not thrown, and do not desire to throw, any obstacle in the way of German development, and that if there are obstacles in the way of German expansion they were not of Britain's making. Where is Germany to expand? Can we give her any portion of the British possessions? The answer must be in the negative. Australia would fight before she gave up any part of her territory; so would South Africa.; so would New Zealand. The only places where Germany would expand would be in Africa or South America. Most of the former continent is already parcelled out among the Powers, but it may be, aa U pointed out by the British Conservative papers, that if Germany could make a deal with Belgium for the Congo, Britain would make no objection to the transaction, and, further, would d» our best to obtain the consent of other Powers. In all probability, however, Belgium would not agree to an arrangement of the sort. In regard to South America and the well-known longings of Germany for possessions in that hemisi phere, it is shown that it is not Britain but the United States and the Monroe I Doctrine which are to blame if Germany finds obstacles to her aspirations. Then there is Asia Minor, where Germany has already large interests. Can she develop them so as to acquire what she is alleged to desire ? Here, again, it is not I Britain that forbids the banns. It k * case of arrangement with Turkey, and to such an arrangement it would not be ■ Britain who would be the spirit that denied. Then there is China. Here no I doubt Russia, Japan and Russia would bar the way. This survey does hot seem to offer much opportunity for expansion. It is, as the London Spectator puts it, the force of circumstances and not Britain which enters the caveat The Spectator notes a very important fact, which allows that what Germany wants just now is rather a grievance against us than actual expansion. II

points out that not only has Germany (never specifically demanded from us any particular part of the world to expand in, but there seems very strong reason for believing that even if there were anything ready for her to takq she would not take it. The Governing Germans know that an oversea empire is of little avail unless it is combined with sea power. They realise why Turkey lias been unable to prevent Italy from going to Tripoli, and why Italy, again, would lose her new possessions if she incurred the enmity of a Power with a superior navy. Therefore Germany is not going to embark upon any great oversea expansion until she has secured her position at sea, or, to put it plainly, until she has had.it out with us, either by a sea war or by a peaceful conquest of the sea through shipbuilding on an immense scale. The fact that Germany is not really anxious ,to expand at present is indeed one of very sinister significance for us. The Spectator deals with this consideration a little more closely. It says: It would suit our purpose admirably for Germany to acquire more colonies and more eoaling stations abroad, and so dissipate her naval force. On the other hand, it would not pay Germany to enter upon any policy which would lead to such ft dissipation of energy. Any well-inform-ed, German who is'ambitious for his country and desires tp possess a world-wide empire would naturally say: "We nmt not do anything to impair that concentration of floating force in the North Sea which is our greatest naval asset. Till the struggle for sea power with England has been decided we shall be mad to spend a penny more on colonial expansion or upon naval stations and bases abroad. Every pfennig that we can spare, every ounce of human energy, must be devoted to increasing our fleet and making it superior to that of Bri tain. When once we/ have gained the command of the sea everything else in the way of oversea empire will follow. Then it will not be a question of looking round the world to pick up little scraps of territory. We can have anything we choose. Instead of wrangling over problematical coaling stations we can pocket what we require from Gibraltar to Aden, from iMalta to the South Seas. It is not through the possession of colonies or the spending of money on land forts that the command of the sea i 3 won," but by battleships and cruisers. When that command of the sea is secured the colonies will follow us naturally as harvest follows a ripened crop." Let ys tabulate the net result of the considerations in support of the Government's policy which we have tried to place before our readers. Britain has not stood in Germany's way or forbiddferi her colonial expansion; if anything has thwarted her it has been the force of circumstances, It would be very greatly to our interests that Germany should adopt a policy of colonial expansion, because to do so we must dissipate her naval force, and thus impair. her power to gain the commani of the sea. Germany knows this as well as we do, and therefore Germany will not seriously trouble about colonial expansion for the present. Germany, however, finds the alleged grievance that we are preventing her expansion useful as a moral lever. The Spectator concludes: These things being so, those persons who propagate and encourage the idea that we have . been depriving • Germany of something which she wants, and wtoick Bhe has a moral right to have, are doing their country and also the cause of peace a very ill service. They are unconsciously giving support to an untruth, and a very mischievous untruth.