MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 November 1917, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

! LLOYD GEORGE'S PARIS SPEECH. DEBATED IN PARLIAMENT, MR. ASQUITH'S CRITICISMS. Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assoc, and Reuter. Received Nov. 20, 0.30 p.m. London, Nov, 10. Immense interest was manifested in the House of Commons debate, initiated by Mr. Asquith, on Mr. Lloyd George's Paris speech, the House and galleries being crowded. Mr. Asquith laid down two propositions, which he hoped would not he controverted. Firstly. In war the ultimate responsibility for what was done or undone rested'with the Government. Secondly: It is vitally important that frequent intimate consultations should be held between the Allied statesmen and soldiers, and co-ordination should be as complete as possible. Nevertheless, ho deprecated the establishment of any organisation interfering with the responsibility of the general staff to the Government, or derogatory in any way from the authority and responsibility of each of the Allied peoples to their respective governments.

Mr. Asquitli emphasised the fact that Mr. Lloyd George, in his Paris speech, did not mention the navy, which, in many respects, dominated strategic considerations. He asked who would decide in case of a disagreement between the allied staff and the general staff. Sir E. Cai-Bon interjected: The War Cabinet.

Mr. Asquith, continuing, said the object of the debate was to dispel certain misapprehensions arising from the Paris speech. He pointed out that Mr. Lloyd ficorge equally shared the responsibility regarding the invasions of Serbia and Roumania. He affirmed that Mr. Lloyd Georga'b views regarding Serbia were not shared by any of the leading military authorities in England. PREMIER'S IRRELEVANT LOGIC. The theory of a single front was perfectly sound, and the corollary thereof was that an ally at one end of tlie line could be best helped by a maximum of effort at the other end. Mr. Lloyd George had regaled the people of Paris with irrelevant rhetoric. His reference to the Western front suggested that the British and Dominions' blood and bravery had been squandered when strategically it could have been better »m----ployed. f WESTERN OFFENSIVE UPHELD. Never were operations more carefully conceived than those of Sir Douglas Haig and the French leaders. He doubted whether any Allied council, wisely guided, would have interfered with either of the two great offensives in the West in favor of more attractive adventures elsewhere. NOT ASHAMED OF WAR CONTRIBUTIONS. We had no reason to be asharn'' of our war contributions. We had kept the seas free, had expanded oar army into seventy divisions, had placed our arsenals and credit at the disposal of the Allies, and so we shall continue to do to the end.

LLOYD GEORGE'S REPLY Mr. Lloyd George, in replying-, said that more important than anything he had said in Paris was to decide whether unity of control is needed, and whether we are taking the right way to secure it. He reaffirmed that we suffered by lack of co-ordination. THE TREND OP THE CRITICISM. The criticism he had directed against the past waH not directed r gainst the, staff or any Allied commander. He had merely used certain illustrations, showing that a lack of co-ordination among the Allies had brought about disaster. Lord Kitchener had once suggested a scheme for a central authority. The speaker was utterly opposed to the appointment of a generalissimo, as such a scheme would produce friction. Ho believed that the United States would have preferred the creation of a council with executive authority, but he thought circumstances at present did not favor this. PERMANENT COUNCIL ESSENTIAL. The new council would actually, and not merely nominally, possess information which would be at the disposal of one of the Allied staffs, and therefore a permanent council was essential, Regarding the Italian front, there was a good deal could be said about what General Cadorna had said and what we thought or knew. General Robertson could not press things in respect to another front, but under the now council ha would be in a position to do so. PRESENT METHODS UTTERLY INADEQUATE. The fact that the Anglo-French troops had to rush to Italy to retrieve the disaster must afft'et the operations on the Western front. It had, therefore, been decided that the present methods were utterly inadequate and inefficient, and that we must have a permanent body, constantly watching tilings, advising upon them and reporting to the. Government. NAVAL REPRESENTATION IMPORTANT. He emphasised flie point that t»e rc-ir.-?si>n(ji.l inn of tint naw was not an

after-thought. It was essentia) that all information regarding naval operations and co-operation should be known to these military advisers. That was a different' tiling from the establishment of a naval council to co-ordinato naval strategy. Wo were suffering; at present; from the lack of such a council. Anyone who knew what was happening in the Mediterranean knew that there was a great deal to bo said for such a council. Tie declared that he had considered his Paris speech carefully, and had made it with a deliberate purpose. UNITY AND CO-ORDINATION. Mr. Lloyd George then reviewed the various resolutions adopted in favor of unity and co-ordination, and efforts in the direction thereof, wliicfi had come to nought, nnS. he added: "I am afraid this will occur again. We went to Rapello with documents most earefnllv prepared ami previously submitted to Cabinet. Substantially the document which was adopted at "Rapello was the document prepared here. TAKING RISKS TO FORCE PUBLIC PUBLIC COMMENT. "I madt. up my mind t& take risks and took them in order to rouse public sentiment, not horely here, but in France, Italy, and America, to see that these doeumonts became an act. I know nothing of military strategy, but I know something of political strategy, and to get public opinion interested in a proposal and to convince them of its desirability is an essential part of political strategy. That was why I made that speech, and it has done it. I determined to deliver a disagreeable speech, which would force everybody to talk, about this scheme. They have talked about it on two or three continents. The result is that public opinion in America, Italy, France, and Britain is that the scheme is a vital one.'' IMPUTATION OF BLAME DENIED. Mr. Lloyd George denied that he blamed the British for what had happened. It was an unpleasant thing' to remind Italy that it had cost 2500 guns, but it was necessary, otherwise the Rapello agreement would never have been passed. PRESSURE ON ENEMY AT ALL POINTS OF COMPASS. Continuing, Mr. Lloyd George said: '" know very well what would have happened, and I did not want it to happen. I wanted this fting to bo a reality. All this to.!!; about easterners and westerners is utter balderdash. The field is north, south, east, and west. Our businc:-. is to put pressure on the enemy at every point of the compass and hi'.rt him where we can. That is why we want a central council." POLICY AND STRATEGY IXTER- . WOVEN. He would not withdraw a. single syllabb of his Paris speech. He asserted that no soldiers in any war had had their strategical position less interfered with by politicians. Only on one or two occasions had he aclcC against ths advie; of soldiers in this war—once in regard to his big gun programme, when they thought he was manufacturing too many and that they would be unable to man them, and the other occr.sion was when ho pressed upon the soldiers tv.c appointment of a civilian to reorganise the railways behind the lines. Policy and strategy were inextricably '.itcrwoven, and those trying to separate them and foster disunion were traitors. FOSTERING SUSPICION DEPRECATED. Mr. Lloyd Gsorgo deprecated the attempts to foster suspicion between England and France. "If we act together," |io said, "we need not fear what happens. I see anxieties on the horizon, and I never conceal these, as it is better to tell the people what is happening. NO FEAR OF SUBMARINES. "No anxieties will modify my conviction that only two things could defeat Us. If the submarine menace wrenched the freedom of the seas, our hopes would be shattered; but I have not further fear of submarines. On Saturday we destroyed five of these pests. The only other danger is the lack of unity." A motion for the adjournment of the debate was withdrawn. THREATENED RAILV.V..Y STRIKE. Router Service. London, Nov. 19. Railwayman in the Cardiff district have decided to strike unless their wages arc increased by £1 weekly within a week.

TURKEY MACEDONIA OFFENSIVE. INTERRUPTED. YOUNG TURKS RESENT GERMAN INACTION. Received Nov, 2fl, 8.!"> p.m. London, Nov. 1!). The Echo de Paris states that the respective enemy offensive in Macc•v>, liiis hf'en interrupted owing to the nng Turks' protests at the Germans' failure to keep their promise to send troops against Eagdad. ,