BEITAIN'S OBLIGATIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 89, 10 September 1914, Page 3

BEITAIN'S OBLIGATIONS.

I FRIENDSHIP WITH FRANCE. NEUTRALTY OF BELGIUM. SIR EDWARD GREY'S SPEECH. The full text of Sir Edward Grey's .speech in the House of Commons just prior to the outbreak of war, was published in Manila newspapers received in Sydney by the Changsba last week. Sydney fi'es to hand recently contain the following extracts of interest. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs just explained that Britain was not tied by any secret engagements. He | proceeded:—"We have had manv years of long-standing friendship with 'France. (Cheers). I remember well when the agreement waa made, the warm, cordial feeling resulting from the fact that these two nations had cleared away their perpetual differences and became friends. How far that friendship entails an obligation—and it has been friendship between the two nations ratified by the nations—let every man look into his own heart and own feelings and construe the extent of the obligation to himself. (Cheers.) "The French fleet is now in the Mediterranean—the northern and western coasts being absolutely undefended with the French fleet concentrated in the Mediterranean. The situation is very different from what it used to he before the friendship wuick grew between the two countries and gave them n, sense of security. My own feeling is that of a foreign fleet, engaged in a war which France had not sought, and in which, she, was the aggressor, came down the English Channel and bombarded the undefended coasts of France, we could not stand aside —loud and prolonged cheers —with the % thing going on practically within sight,of our eyes, with our arms folded, looking on dinpa'.'icionatel/, doing, nothing. And t believe that would be the feeling in this country. SACIIEDNKSS OF TIIKATY RIG-UTS. _ "Andi them is a more serious consideration, bcee-:r,ir.(r more scriouo every hour, the question of tihe neutrann.y ot Belgium. (Cheers). The governing factor was the treaty <;f 1t!39 and 1870. Bismarck gives an assurance to respect the neutrality of Belgium, which is a .valuable recognition on Germany's part of the sueredne-ss of treaty riigata. The treaty is an ow 'reaiy, ami its honor and interest iy, «o strong' to-dm as dn 1870. "We cannot i..ke a le&* mrious view of our obligations than Mr Gladstone's Government did in 1870. When mobilisation was beginning last week, 1 knew thi3 question would be the most important element of our policy.

DIPPLOJU'KC NEGOTIATION'S. ''l telegraphed to 'Avis end Berlin, Haying it was o&iential to know whctUer die French and German Governments were prepared to undertake an on- ; garment to respect the neutrality of ISeigiir.-i," continued Sir Edward. '"Tile French Government replied that it was resolved to respect Belgium's neutrality," iaml it would be only in stiho event of some tilier power violating her neutrality that France '.-night Ibid 'he we'll under' the necessity to jict otherwise. "Germany replied 'hat the secretory for Foreign A..airai vouhl not possibly answer before consulting the. Emperor and the Chancellor. ' Sir William Gosehen, British Ambassador in Berlin, said he 'hoped the answer would not be Ion" delayed. The rwretary gave Sir AYilliaqii "(keshen -o uuderseaiid that he rather doubted whether they could answer at all, as any reply 1 could not fail, in (he event <u war. to lucre the undesirable ellwt of disclosing in it ti (heir iilnn of ea-rinun::]. (Lanphtcr). "[ telegraphed! (to 'Brussels;, and the Belfjinii Foreign .Minister replied that Beciumi woul do her utmost to maintain neutrality, lie added that the Haitian Government believed they were in a position m defen.l the. n«!i.tev!itv of their country in. case of violation of that neutrality. (Cheers). GERMANY'S' OFFER TO BELGIAN*. "Now «nus the mews that a- ill Li- " malum fas lUwn given Belgium by tiermany, the oiler of which is to oiler Bel'mim friendly relatione on coikuHoh that she facilitates <Lha parage of German troops titroiifh Belgium'. We were sounded hist weak as to whether, if BeVia.ul integrity was guaranteed at ■tlie°co'JHuhion of the w-.ir, that would content us. We replied that we would not bargain away whatever inliirivits and obligations we had in Belgian neutrality. (Cheers). KiXQ AUJERT'S APPEAL TO BRITAIN. Of-nrge received the following telegram from, the King of tin: Beig.aus ■. —"liemeinberjng numerous prools of Your Alajesitj's friendship, and that of voiir predecessor, the friendly attitude of tireat Britain in 1870, and the prool of friemWiiii sue has juA given us. 1 nn..c a supreme appeal for the. diplomatic, intervention ol Your .Majesty's <ioveruiiient to safeguard the Jiuegnty ol Belgium." (Cheer .) "We intervened di])lomatica!ly last week What can diplomatic, iiiLcnc.utio!'. 'do no'.v? We have a great vital interest in the independence and integrity of Be'ghvm. The smaller stales in' that region of Europe only ask to be left alone." JIOLLVND'S IXDEPEXDEXC'E AT STAKE.. '•lf in the war which ia before Europe the neutrality of one of these countries is violated, if the troojUv one of the combii-tantis violates its neutrality, and' no action ia taken to resent

it, at the end of the , integrity might he, its independence would be gone.lf that Jiolds good, ana if her independence gees, the independense of Holland will. BRITISH ACTIO., IMPERATIVE. ,

"Now I ask the JKiilS?, from the point of view of British, interests, 10 consider what may be at stake,'* Sir Edward went on. ''lt will' be said that we might stand aside and husband out strength, and at the end intervene with effect and put tilings right. It in a crisis like this we run away from these obligations of 'honor and imterostw as regards Belgium, I doubt whether whatever material form we may have at the end it would be not very much vaJiie in face of the respect that we should have lost." (Renewed joheere l ).