The Daily News. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1918. GERMANY'S, PUNISHMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 December 1918, Page 4

The Daily News. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1918. GERMANY'S, PUNISHMENT.

I, r £ heru are two main questions con- |« .cming tlio war that are today //attracting considerable attention i? and discussion. The first refers to the punishment of the authors of • the war and those responsible for ; committing the terrible crimes during its progress, while the second is payment of indemnities. ■Germany gambled the whole of her resources and lost. Both these matters have to be faced and dealt with in a spirit of stern justice and the demand for punishment and reparation is growing stronger day by day. .The civilised worid has been called upon to bear the greatest and most terrible scourge that has so far fallen on mankind, and ruin -has been unprecedented. There is no other nation in history but Germany that has taken charge of its children from the hour they entered school life until : manhood with the deliberate purpose of inculcating subserviency to the State in all things that the State commands, saturating them with the faith that the State's first ,duty is to wage \yar against "degenerate" nations, and'that German domination is the goal for the attainment of which' everything—property, home, family and life itself—must be sacrificed without murmur, while science was commanded to devote herself exclusively to the production of weapons wherewith to blight and blast the earth, the sea, the air, and all that therein is, as nothing human has ever blighted and blasted them before. The day came when all ' was ready. Then followed the most awful war in history, which, thankfully, has at last ended in the complete victory of right over the monstrous doctrine of might. It would be a jjideous travesty on justice were the authors of this great crime not made to pay the penalty which they would have exacted had they been victorious. There should be no question of sentimental leniency to- a defeated foe like Germany. The armistice terms, afford a reasonable indication as to what the peace terms ■should be. When an ordinary criminal is brought to justice he knows what to expect, rnd has to pay the penalty. So must it be with Germany and Austria, but especially with the former. If the punishment meted out in any way approached the enormity of the crimes then Germany would for ever be paying a large yearly tribute, besides parting with the greater part of her vast resources. There is, however, no desire for vengeance; merely a fitting punishment that includes indemnities on a reasonable scale. Can Germany meet this legitimate demand for compensation? Without a doubt. When during the course or the war Germany's financial ability to carry on was discussed The Economist pointed out that Germany's normal annual revenue was £150,000,000, the war taxation contributing an extra £200,000,000. It was evident then that there was financial trouble ahead, but not such as would affect Germany's ability to recover from the war, or even to pay an indemnity. Her real wealth is her great mineral resources, which could be drawn upon to .assist the countries she has ravaged. In a recent cable Mr. Harold Cox has placed the position very convincingly. He estimates the Allies' war costs at £25,000,000,000. from which may be deducted the value of annexed territory, including the German colonies and Al-sace-Lorraine, though the latter is not annexation but restoration. Prance may also demand the Saar coal basin, lost in 1815, and this also cannot be regarded as other than the giving up of seized territory. One authority • estimates German resources in coal, iron and potash at £237,678,000,000 (Germany herself estimates the value at nearly £200,000,000,000), so that asset alone would leave her an ample margin after discharging her liabilities to the Allies, even if the French claim for the repayment of the indemnity extorted from lier in 1871, to which interest - has to be added. Moreover, Bel- : gium has been fined millions of pounds, besides having to give up all her materials and machinery running iuto millions of pounds in value. From the Belgian banks alone the Germans stole £24,000,000, and in Northern France annexed wool to the value of twentytwo millions. They pursued the same policy in Russia and Roumania, taking everything they could lay their hands On, and one condition of the Brest Litovsk treaty was the payment of a £300,000,000 indemnity. Besides this, the Germans commandeered the labor of the invaded territories to produce foodstuffs and carry oa war industries. If this were capitalised it Avould amount to linndreds of millions. It is obvious that Germany should be called upon to pay some thousands of millions in gold, besides giving up her merchant ships to compensate as far as possible for the tonnage sunk by her piratical craft, and as her investments abroad are Valued at. £500,000,000, Mr. Cox

estimates that when all the Gei*man assets are taken she may still owe the Allies £10,000,000,000, on whif.ii the annual interest would he £500,000,000, but it would seem Hut he does not take into accounttil e value of the coal, iron and potash resources, except as a means of helping to pay the interest. It is evident that he lias in view the punishment of the German taxpayers, as he stresses the fact that the Germans would have to work and remain poor, while the Allies would he relieved of their and be able to enjoy comfort and prosperity, adding, "What better punishment, eould be devised?" If. is the only way of making this nation of arrogant militarists realise that war does not pay, and convincing them that the liohenzollerns and,the Junkers must be rooted out, and their property confiscated. Germany will not, be ruined by the justice dealt out to her, but she will be crippled, for many years to -come, and forced to rebuild her national and industrial life on sane and safe lines. The Allies risked their all in the colossal struggle, and have been victorious. They are now laced with the righteous duty of passing sentence on the, criminals. The blood of the slain cries aloud 1 for retri oution and for the imposing of such terms that never again will it be possible for Germany or any other nation to enter upon a war of lust and rapine. If we are to have an enduring peace, then the terms must be such as to en sure it.