BRITAIN'S REPLY.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 December 1916, Page 5

BRITAIN'S REPLY.

TO GERMANY'S ALLEGED PEACE OFFER. ENEMY'S HYPOCRISY EXPOSED. MILITARY DESPOTISM TO BE CRUSHED. THE VALIANT ACHIEVEMENTS F OUR ARMY. London, Doc. 10. There is intense interest in the speeches of Mr. Lloyd George and Mr. Asquith, which are expected in the House of Commons to-day. The attendance of members and the public is likfely to lie record-breaking. Though Mr. Llovd George' voire is still not stronj, lie is expected to -spoak for two hours reviewing the position of the war, the peace proposals, and the new machinery for the Government policy regarding labor, man power, food and shipping. It is understood that Mr. Asqiiith will devote himself, to criticism without recrimination.

Mr. Lloyd George sni<l tlio Government would give clear and definite -support. to the Franco-Russian answer, which had alVeady been {riven to Germany's peace proposals. Tim Allies had exchanged views on the Note. Peace was impossible without the fullest restoration and reparation by Germany. The time had come more formally to consult the Dominions as to the war, and an Imperial Conference would be held at an early date.

The Allies' reply would be given in a few days.

It had been decided to recognise the agents of M. Yenizelos.

The Government would ask the people for further sacrifices of food, also of excess profits. It was appointins a director of military, civil, and national service. and would ask Parliament for fu< tlier powers if the man supply was inadequate. A CROWDED HOUSE. Received Dec. 20, 5.50 p.r... London, Dec. 10. Crowds in Parliament Street and Palace Yard watched the arrival of the members, who arrived before noon to appropriate seats.

The House was crowded, and every corner of the galleries and gangways was overflowing. The Peers' gallery was Peeked. Mr, Massey and Sir Joseph Ward were in the Distinguished Strangers' Gallery, also the representatives of Fiance, Italy, Belgium, and neutrals, including Mr. Page (American Ambassadar). The Strangers' Gallery showed more khaki than civilian dress. Women waited for hours in the corridor behind the Ladies' Gallery. •The House soon plunged into the business _of dealing with questions. One answer declared that the military punishment of crucifixion cannot be abandoned. To another question a promise was given that official action would be taken to stop the slaughter of pigs, Mr. Lloyd George entered, looking pale as the result of his illness, which he has not yet shaken off. He was greeted with loud cheers on all sides. Cheers aJso greeted Mr. Asquith and Mr, Bonar Law. "THE LITTLE WELSH LAWYER.'' For the first time in his career, Vf. Lleyd George confronted Mr. Asquith, with whom were some of the fragments of the late Cabinet.

Tt was a remarkable scene when the "little Welsh lawyer" in triumph took the floor, amid renewed cheering. His early sentences about the peace ofl'er, and his declaration that the swashbuckling through the streets of Europe must be stopped, and that he would trust to an unbroken army rather than a hroken one. at once brought him close to the sympathy of his hearers, and so the speech proceeded.

FORMAL DISCUSSION OF GERMAN NOTE. "The answer will be given by our Government and in full accord with our bravo allies. Naturally, there has been an interchange of views, not upon the Note, because it has only recently arrived. but upon the speech which propelled it, ami, inasmuch as the Note itself is practically only a reproduction or certainly a paraphrase of that speech, the subject matter of the Note itself has been discussed formally. THE ALLIES UNANIMOUS "T am very glad to be able to state that we have each arrived at identical conclusions. 1 am very glad the first answer was given by France and Russia, for they have unquestionably the right to give the first > answer to such an invitation of the enemy, who is still on their soil. Their sacrifices have been greater. To their answer, which has been published, on behalf of the British Government I give a clear and definite support, THE REAL OBJECT OF THE ALLIES.

"A layman or a sot of men who wantonly or without sufficient cause prolonged this terrible conflict would have on his soul a crime that oceans could not cleanse. On the other hand it is equally true that any man or set of men who from a sense of weariness or despair abandoned the struggle without achieving its highest purpose whercfor they entered it would be guilty of the costliest act of poltroonery ever perpetrated by any statesman. "I like to quote the words of Abraham Lincoln under similar conditions: 'We have accepted this war for an object and a world object, and the war will end when that object is attained. Under God I hope it will never end until that time.' PUTTING OUR HEADS IN A NOOSE. "Arc wl likely to achieve that object by accepting the German Chancellor's invitation. What are the proposals? There arc none. To ejiter a conference on the invitation of Germany, proclaiming herself victorious, without any knowledge of the proposals she proposes to make, is to put our heads in a noose with the rope ends in Germany's hands. This country is not altogether without experience of these matters. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE. "This is not the first time it has fought a great military .despotism over-

shadowing Europe, and it will not be the first time we lqive helped to overthrow military despotism. We tan recall one of the. greatest of these despots, when, seeking to work bis nefarious schemes, his favorite device was to appear in the guise of an angel of peace." "Tie usually appeared rmler those condition's when be wished time to assimilate his conquests or re organise his forces for fresh conquests; or, secondly, when bis subjects showed symptoms of fatigue or war weariness. Ilia appeal was always made in the name o' humanity. He demanded to end the bloodshed whereat tiev processed himseif liorrilied. mt for which he himself wa« mainly responsible. Our ancestors we-e taken in once, and bitterly thry n .nil Europe rue it. The tim.-' \va< devoted to re-organising bis force- <or a :l.wlliv attack _than ever upon the .ibf-vties o 1 "' Europe. Kxample* of that kind eait.-e us to regard this Note in a considerable measure with reminiscent disquietude. ( THE OXLY TERMS, '•We feel we ought to know before we can give favorable congelation' to such an invitation that Germany is pre pared to accede to tile onlv terms where on it is possible for peace to be obtained and maintained in Enropc. The=e terms have been repeate<! ! v stated by all tlie leading statesmen of the Allies Mr. Asquith has stated them repeatedly. It is important there should be uo mistake in a matter rf life and death to millions. Therefore, I will re peat them again, namely: Complete ie-.titution, full reparation, and effectual gii, rantecs.

A DENIAL OF PEACE. "Did tli; German C'hancMlor ijsc a single phrase indicating lie was prepared to accept such a peace? The very .siilistar.ee and style of- his sp»cch constitute ii denial of peace <>n the only terras whereon it is possible. He is lut even conscious now tint Germany ha; committed any offence aglinst the right of free nations. Listen to ill's from tile Note:

Not for an instant have <l-p Central Powers swerved from the conviction that the respect of i f other nations is not in anv ilesree compatible with tlieii o)vn rights aad legitimate interest!. KESPECT FOR THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS. "'When did they discover that there was the respect for rights of other nations in Belgium and Seibia? Thar was self-defence, I suppos.'. Menaced by the overwhelming armies of Belgium? "T suppose the Germans '.ad been intimidated into invading Rc'giu'n, burning cities and villages, aid uw-saering thousands of inhabitants, carrying the. survivors into bondage—canying then into slavery at the mome.it when the Note was being written.

LEGITIMATE INTERESTS! '"About the unswerving conviction respecting the rights of (.flier nations, are these outrages to he tie legitimaie interests of Germany? Wo mist know. It is not a moment for p"ice if excuses of this kind for palpable crime: can be put forward two and a half years aft;r the exposure by grim fr.cts, GUARANTEES FOR THE ED TURF, "As to the guarantee, is there I as!; in all solemnity, any guarantee of a similar subterfuge jiot be : ng used in future to overthrow anv t,caty of ,>cne.> you may enter into with the Prussian militarists? This Note and speech prove that not yet have they learned the very alphabet of respect for t : ie rights of others. FEACE IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT KEPARAT T ON. "Without reparation p-vice :: lmp.;=sible. Ave all these outrage-- against humanity 011 land and s"1 to be liquidated by a few pious phrases alioi't humanity? Is there to !e r.o reckoning for them? Are we to g.-isp fl.-e hand that perpetrated these atrocities in friendship, without any reparation being tendered or given? Germany leaves lis to exact damage fcr all future violence committed after the war \vv l ave already begun.

EXACTING THE COST. "It cost us much. We must exact, it now, so as nof to leave sr."!i a grim inheriianre for our children. ''M:ich as we all long for .-cace, deeply as we are horrified at w-.r, tiin Xo'e, and the speech which- heralded it, da not afford much encouragement cr liopn for an honorable, "lasting peace. Wlinr hope is given in the speech t!>.it 4 lie whole root-cause of this great bitterness, the arrogant spirit of the 'Prussian military caste, will not be dominant as ever if we patch up a peace now?" (Oheers.) After pointing out that the speech '.'.'herein the peace proposals were suggested resounded with the boast of a Prussian military triumph, Mr. Lloyd (leorge declared: "We must keep a steadfast eye upon the purpose for which we entered the war, otherwise the great sacrifice we are making will be in vain. THE DARKEST CLOUD. '■' Britain never appeared at her best except when confronted with a real danger. Let us fir a moment look at the worst. The Roumanian blunder was unfortunate, but, at the worst, it prolongs the war; it does not alter the fundamental facts of tile Avar. I callnot help hoping it may even have salutary ell'ects in calling the attention of the Allies to the obvious defects of the Allies' organisation, not merely the organisation of each, but the organisation of the whole. If it does that, if it braces t'hem to fresh ell'ort, it may prove, bad as it is, a 'blessing. That is the worst. It has been a real setback. It is the one eloud, the darkest cloud, that has appeared on the clearing horizon. We are doing our "best to make it impossible that the disaster should lead to worse.

DECISIVE ACTION IN GREECE. "That is why we have taken in tlio last few days a very strong action in Greece. We mean to take no risks there. We have decided to take definite, decisive action, and I think we have succeeded. We have decided to recognise the agents of that great- Greek states' man, M. Venizelos." (Cheers,) V GERMAN DEVELOPMENT. "The German Note states it is for the defence of their existence and freedom of national development that the Central Powers were constrained to take up arms, Such phrases defeat even

those who pen them. They are intended to delude the German nation, supporting the designs of the Prussian military" caste. Whoever wished to put an end to Germany's national existence or freedom, or tlieii national development ! We welcomed their development as long as it was on .the paths of peace. PRUSSIAN AGGRESSION. ''The 'Allies entered the war to defend Europe against the aggression of the 'Prussian military domination, and, having begun, we mast insist that the only end is the ihost complete and ell'ectiv'e guarantee against the possibility that the caste will <«ver again lie disturbing the peace of Kurope. l'russia, since she got into the hands of that caste, has been a bad neighbor, arrogant, threatening, and bullying, shifting her boundaries at Iter will, taking one fair field after another from her weaker neighbors. A DISTURBER OF THE PEACE.

''With her belt ostentatiously full of weapons of offence, and ready at a moment's notice to use them, she has always been an unpleasant and disturbing neighbor in Europe. It is diflieult for those living thousands of miles away to understand what it has meant for those living near her. Even here, with the protection of the broad seas between us, wc know what a disturbing factor the Prussian? were, with ihe constant naval menace, hut even we can ['ranee and "Russia. Now that war has been forced by the Prussian military leaders upon France. Russia, Italy, and ourselves, it would be a cruel folly not to see to it that this

SWASHBUCKLING THROUGH THE STREETS OF EUROPE,

to the disturbance of all harmless and peaceful citizens, shall he dealt with now as an offence against the law of nations. THE BRITISH ARMY'S ACHIEVEMENTS, "I should like to say a word about the lessons 01 the fighting on the Western front, about the significance of the whole of that great struggle. It is full of encouragement and hope. An absolutely lien- army—the old one had done its duty, and spent itself on the achievement of that great task —this new army tut a year ago was lrnt ore in the earth of Britain, yea, and Ireland. It has become iron. (Cheers.) It has passed through the fiery furnace. The enemy knows it is now fine steel. This new M-my—new men, new officers, new generals—faces the greatest army in the world —the best, equipped and the best trained—and has beaten them—(Loud cheers) —in battle after battle, day after day, week after week, in the strongest entrenchments ever devised by human skill. They have driven them out by valor that is incredible. That is something which has given us hope, find fills vin and all of us with pride hardly realise, what it lias meant to in the nation to which they belong.

FULL OF SIGNIFICANCE. "It is a fact full of significance for lis, and for the foe. (Cheers.) The enemy has seen that army grow under its very eyes J they becoming veterans We are, therefore, basing our confidence upon these facts. ] am as convinced as ever I was of ultimate victory, if the nation proves as st.'ady and valorous, as ready to sacrifice, to learn, and to endure as that great army 011 the Somme." (Loud cheers.) THE NEW GOVERNMENT. The 'Premier proceeded to refer to the new Government, remarking that he was anxious to avoid all issues that excited irritation, controversy, and disunion. It must not be assumed he accepted as complete the account which had been given of The way the Government was formed. He was convinced the controversies of the past would not help regarding the future. Thereto, so tar as he was 1m D'aeed them 011 one side.

lie proceeded to speak of the r,riversal character and composition 0; the Government as an executive body. The House realised there had been separation between tjje functions of the Premier and the Leader of the House, because these two offices were/ more than one man could undertake. "Previous Administrations had been peace structures, organised for different purposes and dillerent conditions. Craft suitable for a river or canal was not exactly the.kind of vessel for the high sens. He was not here referring to the last Cabinet, but to the old system of Cabinet, where the heads of every Department represented the inside of the Cabinet, lie was convinced the new form of government was the best for the war, where quick decision was r.ceessary a Dove everything."

THE CAUSE OF DISASTER. III! declared that the Allies bad suffered disaster after disaster through tardiness of decision and action. "Von laimot run a war with a sanhedrin That was the meaning of the Cabinet of live, and one of its members doing sentry duty outside. It had been suggested there was a danger of lack of coordination, but be pointed out it was (.lie old practice to have the, heads of departments outside the Cabinet. Whenever anything .concerned a particular department, the head of that department would attend. The executive committee could discuss problems requiring solution. Ife thought this was very effective in practice, and much better, especially in time of war, than keeping men away from tl;eir departments discussing things which did not directly concern them.

He emphasised that there would he no distinction between the old war committee and Hie war Cabinet. There Ms not llio slightest attempt to derogate in any particular from the complete control of' Parliament, which must always be supreme. MOBILISING LABOR. lie also hoped (he Department would take a leading' part in assisting the mobilisation of labor for the purposes of the war. In regard to shipping, he emphasised it was never so vital to the life of the nation as at present. NATIONALISING SHIPPING. "The Government felt the time had come to take complete control of all ships of Britain, and place them practically in the same position as the railways, ao that during the war shipping would be nationalised in the real senst of the term. The prodigious profits made cut of freights contributed largely to th<; high cost of commbdities, and made it difficult for tin Government to induce oorganised labor to give up its privi-

lf-gcs. Undue and extravagant profits of shipping were intolerable in war-time. Sir Joseph Macleav was conferring with the Admiralty and Ihe Shipping Control Committee, and Mr. Lloyd George hoped soon to lie able to inform the House of ihe plans recommended, not only for Ihe more effective utilisation of ships already on the register, but also for the speedy construction of more ships to replace the wastage.

Begirding the coal mines, the Government felt it ought to assume a more direct control of the whole industry. THE FOOD PROBLEM. The food problem was undoubtedly serious, [t would he grave unless not entirely the Government, but the nation, was prepared to grapple with it courageously, without loss of time. Ho pointed out that the available harvest of the world had failed. The surplus available for export from Canada and the United States had diminished to a disastrous extent. The Argentine promised ibadly. The Russian output was unavailable. That from Australia meant almost prohibitive transport. Our own harvest was poor. He did not believe it was more than three-eighths, but the usual sowing had taken place.

ORGANISATION AND PROIX'CTIOX. Beeeived Dec. 21, 1.5.) a.m. London, Dec. 20. Mr. Lloyd George stated that the Government was investigating the French system, whereby Ministers had to appear before a Parliamentary Committee, where questions could be asked of (hem,' and they could give an account which they would not care to give in public. It was possible t'hey might refer the matter to Parliament for a settlement.

Coming to the work of the Govern-mc-nt. Mr. Lloyd George referred to the ■Ministry of -Labor, and hoped this Department would not confine itself merely to a settlement of disputes, but hoped it would become in a real sense a Ministry with tile well-being of Labor in its charge.

Regarding production, every available square yard must be made to produce food. All who haii the opportunity must regard it as a duty to the State to assist in producing and contributing fo the common stock. If this were, done, said Mr. Lloyd George, we should have food, without any privation, and without any want, everybody having plenty of the best and healthiest food. This means sacrifices. But what sacrifices? Talk to the men who have returned from the Soiume! Men who have been through the haunting wretchedness of a winter campaign. Ton will know something about what those gallant men have been enduring for the country.

A STIMULATING MESSAGE, FROM MR. LLOYD-GEORGK Auckland, Last Night. The Governor has received a telegram from the Secretary of State for the Colonies conveying the following message from Mr. Llovd George 011 Jiis appointment as Prime Minister:—. ''On taking up the high office with which his Majesty the King has charged me, 1 send you, 011 behalf of the. people of the Old Country, a message to our biothers beyond the seas. There is 110 failing in our determination that the sacrifices which we and you have made and have to still make shall not be in vain, and that (he fight which we are waging together foi humanity and civilisation shall be fought to a triumphant victory. We realise that w-e shall need cvetr man that we can put into the lield, every pound that rigid private and public economy can provide, -and every effort which united people can put forth, to help in the heavy task of our; soldiers and sailors. The splendid contribution lo the common cause already ma|le by the dominions can give us sure confidence that their determination is 110 less high than ours, and that however long the path to final victory may be, w< shall tread it side by side.''—(Signed) Lloyd-George. In handing- the communication to'the press for publication, the Ifoii. dames Allen, who is at present visiting Auckland, said it was difficult to realise a more stimulating message than the one which had come to New Zealand from Mr Lloyd George. "It is very gratifying t& New Zealand," said Mr. Allen, "to think that the newly-appointed Prime Minister appreciates the contribution to Gu. common cause that has been made by (his and other Dominions. It needs 110 words from New Zealamlers to assure him that we all are confident in the dotermination to stand alongside the Mother Country 011 Ihe path to final victory, and, we hope, lasting pence. I do hope that this message will be read by everyone in this country, and will be pondered over this time, and as a result we shall be more determined than ever te continue to do our part in bringing about results that we all so earnestly d; sire.''