CONDUCT OF THE WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 February 1916, Page 5

CONDUCT OF THE WAR.

THE BLOCKADE, | ITS EFFECTIVENESS. LORD SYDENHAM DOUBTFUL. A MINISTER TO TAKE CHARGE. Received Feb. 23, 5.40 p.m. London, Feb. 22. In the House of Lords, Lord Sydenham raised the question of an effective blockade, and asked whether we were taking full advantage of our sea-power. He contended that Britain had not brought sufficient pressure on the enemy to affect his interna) conditions. Submarines had altered the methods of the blockade. The great fall in German exchange indicated that Germany was buying largely in outside markets, and the real difficulty was due to this. The policy which produced the Declaration of London was still alive and potent, and lie urged that all commodities essential for Germany carrying on the war pheuld be made absolute contraband. He ridiculed the idea of winning the war by attrition. They could only win by striking hard blows, and the war should be ended as soon as possible on terms securing the nonrecurrence of the German frenzy. He moved that in conformity with the principles of national law and legitimate neutral rights more effective use be made of the Allied fleets to prevent essentials reaching the enemy. • LORD BERESFORD SNEERS. Lord Charles Beresford said that if the Government had established an effective blockade at the outset he honestly believed that the war would have been over by now. They had only got a sort of blockade by proclamation, and the war would never be won by Orders-in-Council. It was necessary to have o policy and turn it over to the navy to enforce. He was convinced that we would only be able to win the war by an absolute blockade. Ordcrs-in-Council might be statesmanship, but they were not war. If the fleet literally could grapple Germany by the throat it could easily smash her. The Government i should finally renounce the Declaration of London, and the country should rid itself of the twenty-one amateur statesmen who knew nothing about war, because ''amateurs" could not have any foresight. The management had been worse since the coalition. Lord Beresford concluded: "We are not running the war, but the war is running us." LORD LANSDOWNE PROVES ITS WORTH. Lord Lansdowne said that the conduct of the war was in the hands of a small committee, who were unhampered by civilians in the Cabinet. The complaints about hampering the fleet seemed to be based on a misapprehension. The war had diverted a great deal of trade into new channels, and the reconsignraent depots' business had passed from Hamburg to Rotterdam and Copenhagen. The Government intended to put the whole blockade business in the charge of a single Minister, who woufd be entrusted with the general co-ordination of these matters. The filtration of goods to the enemy through neutrals was showing a marked tendency to diminish, owing to the Government's measures, and there was no danger of a great leakage recurring. It was impossible to hermetically seal ail channels, but we might appeal confidently to neutrals to help us to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate commerce. The Government plan, whatever its faults, had accomplished satisfactory results. It had killed Germany's export trade and seriously crippled her imports. He sometimes wished what the people of this country could experience for one moment the conditions of the Austro-Germans, and then they would realise the plight to which their adversaries had been brought, ,_.

OTHER VIEWS Lord Loreburn said he did not believe that naval pressure would appreciably accelerate the end of the war. There was no short cut to the end. It was the Governments of Europe, not the nations, who were responsible for the beginning and the continuance of the war, and the only way of avenging the immeasurable disaster to the entire continent of Europe was by bringing the' war to an end themselves. ' Lord Buckmaster said we certainly will have lost if, when the war end*, it could be urged against us that we used our power to infringe neutrals' legitimate rights. WAR CONFERENCE. OPENED IN PARIS. teceived Feb. 23, 9.13 p.m. Paris, Feb. 23. The inter-Parliamentary conference has opened. Speeches were made by Lord Bryce and M. Clemenceau, who paid tributes to the French and British shares in the war. The conference then discussed the naval problem,