ENGLAND AND GERMANY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3153, 2 April 1909, Page 7

ENGLAND AND GERMANY.

"There ar»," says the London "Times," "absolutely no concrete questions outstanding between this country and Germany, whether of large dimensions or small. That this is the case is evidence of the corre.uness of,the attitude habitually n.au - tained by both nations. There mis undoubtedly been an atmosuhuie of distrust, which the future will, we may hope, dispel, but of cictual grounds of dispute there are none. There are, on the other hand, many reasons why the two nations should live in amity and harmony. Their commercial relations are extensive and important, and their common interests correspondingly great. Notwithstanding great superficial differences, the racial outlook upon life in the two countries is very similar. The Briton lives very comfortably in Germany, while Germans in large numbers make this country their home. The closest students and the warmest admiiers of English literature are the Germans, and, nut lone go, an exhibition of British painting in Berlin called forth a high degree of interest and appreciation. If Englishmen are in the mass less familiar with German literature, it is largely due to linguistic deficiencies, which are general in their effects. But that literature has found powerful exponents here and has exercised indirectly a great influence. On the practical side Germany receives in this country the compliment of continual laudation of the thoroughness of her mehods. With all this, there has been uneasiness between the two countries, which may perhaps be partly explained if we remember that Germany with her rapid growth, has sometimes made us feel a little crowded, and > that we, with our established bulk, have seemed to Germany to take up an unreasonable amount of room. It may be said that there is the naval question. Well, that will not be - discussed in Berlin and indeed there is no room for discussion. Prince Bulow intimated vti'y clearly not long"ago that Only the best fleet that she can get is good enough for Germany, who measures her naval preparations solely by hor estimate of her own needs, and that retrenchment in that or in her fand defends is the last economy she will make. That is really an excellent definition of what ought to be the attitude of this country, whose naval needs are far greater, as her empire is more ext tided and scattered. We, too, have to measure our preparations by our necessities, in view of all that is goir.g on around us, and we, too, ought to hold our defences beyond the scope of any retrenchment threatening their unquestionable adequacy. On these grounds there is no room for discussion, and there ought to be none for irritation."