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The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1917 BRITAIN'S PART IN THE WAR.

The historic Guildhall, in the heart of the City of London, has been the locale ol many momentous gatherings, but it would seem that the occasion of Mr Lloyd George's first public speech as Premier, and the desire to give hire a welcome worthy 01' the "Man of the Hour" in great measure accounted for the intense enthusiasm displayed. The predominating factor was the expectation that the British Premier would review the war-.situation as it now exists, and would give some indication of coming events, especially as lie had just returned from a most important conference of Allies at Rome. "The actual object of the meeting was to bespeak a libera, response to thj new war loan, but the whole conduct of tlie war is necessarily involved in the question of finance, and that was why the Guildhall, was chosen as the locale for the gathering, it being in close touch with tlie business premises of the great financial and commercial magnates of the Empire. We do not propose to comment on the loan, the success of whieh may be regarded as a mattei of certainty, but in connection with the finances of the belligerents it is interesting to note that Mr. Bonar Law, who opened the meeting, asserted that the great German military machine was resting on an internal foundation that was ''crumbling irresistibly before our eyes." The importance of this statement cannot be over-rated, for it was made by a responsible British Minister having an inner knowledge of facts which the general public does not possess. It is well known that Germany is carrying on the War, not with- gold, but with paper, thus heaping up a mountain of obligations which will have to be met or repudiated just as circumstances may suit. It is the enormous financial strain, coupled with the shortage of food and wastage of man-power, that has caused Germany to her frail barge 01 peace on an angry and tempestuous sea. Tti opening his remarks, Mr. Ltoyd George naturally gave precedence to this ■spurious peace move, and voiced ■ t!io general sentiment of the Allies by stating that it would suit Germany to have peace now on her own terms. "Much as the Allies desire peace," he said, "they l.ave decided that even war is better than a peace at any price and Prussian domination over Europe.' No one has a greater or more accurate knowledge than Mr. Lloyd George of what Britain is doing by way of bearing the burden of the war, and it speaks volumes for her work when at the recent conference it was conspicuously evident that the Allies were looking to Great Britain to an increasing extent, trusting to her rugged strength and great resources, "the great tower in the deep, the hope of the oppressed and the despair of the oppressor." The sympathetic reference made bv the Premier to the temporary misfortunes of the Roumanians, and to the heroic struggle made b; the Russians for two and a-half icars, aroused .veil-deserved cheers, and ',heie is a distinct inspiration to confidence in tlie future, as conveyed in the liini that by helping Russia aiul ROll- - with equipment there would be mother story to tell soon. Yve are tokf hat the arnr.es of Britain will be more uiniidabte and efficient than they were

in 1010, and by a curious 0011101(101100, Admiral .lollicoo, shaking at Fishmonger., 1 Hull, asserted (lint the .submarine menace cr.iiM and would bo doait with effectively. It is perfectly clear that the Allie-. are leaning nnitl on the great British tower, and especially in the direction of its liiiau.dal portal. Hence the necessity for raising another large wa. .osin. "The money we get, the shorter the war," said the Premier, adding that every ivell-primed cheque was a better weapon of destruction than m twelve-inch .shell. The truth of such a startling statement cannot he questioned, and it indirectly appeals to the dominions to assist and not to bo a drag on the Motherland 1 * finances. The dominant note of Mr. Lloyd Ceorge's rcmnrkaole speech was vconiiclonce in the future, a. well as m the ability of Britain to beai the lion's part of the war strain. When the his'ory of the war conies to be written it will be seen that the British Empire nobly rose to the occasion and stopped at no sacrifice .vhicli would nelp the Allies and the just cause for which they arc «o heroically contending. What Britain's part ha* been in ike war has been ;,tated from time to time. She has provided a supreme fleet; uve millions of men in arms (naval and military); : million and a half of men and a quarter of a million of women producing munitions; a daily expenditure of about five millions; a debt that will, at the present 'ate, reach £3,440,000.001 by March next, while Hundreds of millions have been and will continue to be advanced to our Allies It mast never bo forgotten that all the Britain and the Dominions have made and are still cheerfully making constitute merely the unselfish but Heroic efforts tnc. Empire and Allies are putting forth in defence of the liberties of the world, and especially of the smaller nations. Hence iiit tenor of the British r?piv remit d|ing terms of peace, and the impossibility of giving a moment's consideration to any ;:o e proposals that can be offerid until the menace of Prussian militarism has been laid , low. It it for peace that we are fighting and unless an assured peace is obtained all our sacrifice; will have been in vain,

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19170115.2.19

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1917, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
944

The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1917 BRITAIN'S PART IN THE WAR. Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 1917 BRITAIN'S PART IN THE WAR. Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1917, Page 4

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