BRITAIN'S RESPONSIBILITIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 October 1919, Page 4

BRITAIN'S RESPONSIBILITIES.

LIMIT ALMOST REACHED. AMERICA AM) THE TURKISH HANDATJSSTIRRING SBECH BY LLOYD GEORGE. By Telegraph.—Press Awn.—Copyright. Received' Oct. 19, 5.5 p.m. London, Oct. 17. Mr. Lloyd George, in his speech at Sheffield, emphasised the equal necessity of exercising economy and increasing production. The test question on which the Government would stand or fall was whether, viewing matters broadly, the Government could do more to save the temporary expenditure which marked the transition from war to peace, without imperilling greater and more permanent interests. He said the permanent expenditure must remain far higher than before the war, owing to the increased interest, amortisation, aid pay, which had increased for all forms of State service. The bread subsidy must soon disappear. The delay in signing peace with Tur. key was attributable to the fact that it was not known whether America was going to share the burdens of civilisation outside the United States. He wfts rather pleased that Americans had been brought face to face with this, because some Americans used to accuse the "grabbing British Empire" of getting a piece of land at every available opportunity. He thought the American now realised thai Britain was under* taking a great civilising duty at a great cost to ourselves. It was a task that Providence had sent us, and which we were discharging in various parts of the world. He begged the men of our kith and kin in America to join in that task, otherwise he did not know what was going to happen to parts of the Turkish Empire. Neither we nor France could undertake it. All the people who had been living in the shadow of a great tyranny for centuries were, said Mr. Lloyd George, appealing to Ajnerica to come and help to protect them. He hoped the appeal would not be in vain. We are undertaking a similar responsibility ourselves, and find that we are approaching the limit of our strength, and that tt would be unwise to go furtßer. It would be the height of unwisdom for us to disarm until the Turkish problem was settled. It was vital to tike British empire and to the world that it, Bhould be settled properly and promptlyBy December 31, 98 per cent, of the conscripted soldiers would have been returned to their homes, and by the time the Conscription Act expired there would rut be a single conscript who had not returned homeward. Alluding to the criticisms on the Government, Mr. Lloyd George quoted the roadway notice: 'Tlease slacken the reins when ascending this hill." He wished they would treat Ministers as they treated horses. When the Government was going up hill there were men pulling, prodding, and tightening. Let them slacken the reins. The burden wa? heavy, the road was steep, and they needed all the muscle, brain, and inspiration that was available from their fellow men, and from above, to enable them to keep up and carrv the weight.— Aus.-N.Z. Caible Assn.

CAPITAL AND LABOR. Mr. Lloyd George added that perpetuation of the spirit of war was fatal to industry. The worst was over, and ha could now see symptoms, even in the most desperate areas, of the coming peace. We must also have peace at home to secure production, and must have everybody working with goodwill. To secure goodwill there must be con* fidence; capital must have confidence that its enterprise would be fairly remunerated, and labor must feel confident that it will share the rowards of prosperity and feel it is a real partner la business.

GIVE GERMANY A CHANCE. Mr. Lloyd George, referring to Germany, said it was not the British habit to harry, nag, insult, and trample down a beaten foe who acknowledged'defeat. As long as Germany conformed to she conditions of the peace terms must give the enemy a fair chance to'lead a decent, peaceable and honorable exist* ence. This was to .the interest of th» whole world, not, merely of Germany. He concluded by urging the impera. tive need of a good understanding between capital and labor, towards which the Government could do but little. The Premier emphasised the necessity of the greater industrial use of machin, ery, also of electricity.—Aua.-N.Z Cable Assn.