A DEBT TO PAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 225, 2 March 1915, Page 2

A DEBT TO PAY.

BELGIUM AND BRITISH COMMERCE The Rev. \V. G. Monckton writes to tlie Auckland Star: —"The sinking "if British merchant vessels l>y German submarines operating on the coasts of England and Franco has enabled us to realise the tremendous damage that would have been done to British commerce had the Germans succeeded in their endeavor, to capture tin; northern coast of France. That they did not succeed is due entirely to the noble heroism pf the Belgians in defending Antwerp till the Allies could extend tlwr left wing to the sea. The defence of Antwerp entailed upon this noble nation a suffering and loss without parallel in history. It has meant for us the saving of millions of pounds and thousands of valuable lives. It seems, therefore, the clear duty of the British Empire to do something as an empire for the people or Belgium. Individually We have done much, but in our collctive capacity we have done nothing. We want a great national gift to come from us as a nation. "First as to the facts. When the Belgian, army retired on Antwerp the Germans undertook not to molest the city if the Belgians would promise not to interfere with the German line of communications. This the Belgians refused to do, and when it became known that von Boehn was bringing reinforcements to attack the allied line .in Franco the Belgians made a sortie m force from .Antwerp. This .necessitated the Germans detaching a force of 200000 of their first line troops, and their best guns, for the siege of the city. But it was just at this time that, the Germans needed every available man and gun for their operations on the Aisne, for von Kluek was making another bid for Paris, and had already driven our forces out of St Quentln, out of Peronne, and was half-way back to Amiens. He had also retaken Lassigny, Roye, and Chaulnes, and, had the forces engaged at Antwerp been available, he might have inflicted a severe defeat <m our troops. The menace to their linns of communication through Belgium ' caused by the defence of Antwerp made it necessaray also for the Germans to attempt the envelopment of the ToulVerdun line, so as to secure new lines through Metz and Strassburg. This was a desperate venture, and led to a crushing defeat 'being inflicted, on the Bavarians and to the retirement of the army of the Crown Prince from the Marnc. Thus the entire Allied line was? saved through the Belgians holding up >; at Antwerp the reinforcements so urprnvtlv needed elsewhere. Bv October ■ the situation was changed The outer forts of Antwerp had fallen. The situation of the city was practically hopeless, and preparations ha 4 been made f"r the Belgians to retire pn Oetend. On Saturday morning, October 3rd, every- • body was hurrying towards the ■ wharves,, when it was suddenly an- ' nounced that there would be no retirement, and that it lmd been determined to hold Antwerp to the last. What had caused this dramatic change? "Word had come from England that 1 it was imperative for the safety of our \ troops that the forces besieging Antwerp should not be released for another : week. The Germans were making a 1 desperate effort to turn our left flank, and the Allies were hurriedly sending troops north to Arras and Lille. If they were caught on the march by a superior force there was grave danger that the whole line would be crumpled up. So serious was the situation in France that Mr Winston Chuichill went in person to Antwerp to encourage the Belgians to hold out. The Germans also were not idle. General von Beseler, realising how urgently his men were wanted for ah attack against the English, while they were in a dangerous position, issued a special proclamation to the Belgians promising them freedom f-om any further German aggression if they would ' surrender Antwerp. The proclamation dwelt on the fact that the continued defence of Antwerp could ■ only have the result of inflicting irreparable losses on the people of Belgium, .and that its ultimate capture was certain. This last fact the Belgians knew all too well, but they were true to their allies at the cost of all they had. Like. Regulus, they returned to their doom for the sake of their plighted word. "Then followed a scene that in its agony is without equal in history. The Belgians set fire to the oil tanks to prevent them falling into the hands of the Germans. In the calm air- the triple flame, rose some hundreds of feet. When the wind rose the dense black smoke was driven down on to the doomed city like the lid of hell. Slowly fires began to devour the town till it was like a hideous furnace, the lid of which was a terrible black cloud, of smoke. Then came the furious cannonade of the huge German guns. The morning broke on a city in ruins with its dead lying in hundreds in the streets. For eight days the city had endured all the horrors of an inferno, and those eight days had saved the Allies. The British line had established itself securely, and had begun that great movement which was to take it to the coast, and so save Calais. But at what a cost to the brave people of Belgium. "In the three days following the fall of Antwerp over half a million people fled into Holland penniless and homeless. It was estimated that at that date Belgium had sustained damage to the extent of £180,000,000."We are now told seven millions are starving. The Belgians saved JJew Zealand alone quite half a million. But for Antwerp the Germans would have captured the northern coast of France,. her submarines would have had a base for operating in the English Channel, and our overseas commerce . would have been seriously imperilled. This would have meant the raising of insurance rates to at lea9t fifteen guineas per cent., and the whole costlof living would, have risen proportionately. "I am writing this in the hope that our influential public bodies will take steps to urge upon the Government the plain duty of discharging some of our debt. It is as much a debt as any , other part of our national debt, and it is besides a debt of honor. It would be a great thing if the Government would contribute, say, £15,000 a month as a gift from the Dominion, and the people of New Zealand ought to see that the Government does it. It would be the simple repayment of a debt." ,