THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1909. THE LULL IN EUROPE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9595, 15 September 1909, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1909. THE LULL IN EUROPE.

A welcome cessation of ominous rumours, gloomy apprehensions, veiled threats, and "rattling of the sabre in the scabbard," has been a noticeable feature of the foreign news of late, and after the conatan t minor scares which followed upon the destruction of Ab-dul Hamid's autocratic power in Turkey by the bloodless revolution in July last year, and which were all related either directly or indirectly to that event, the present condition of tranquillity, though, in the opinion of those who ought to know, only temporary and superficial is an undoubted relief. Sir Edward Grey recently described this deceptive tranquillity as "the hush before the cataclysm." Hence it may be just as well to recognise that though the oil bags of diplomacy have calmed the surface of *he great sea of international politics, the tranquillity is treacherous, and far beneath the surface there are forces at work which threaten to create sooner or lifter the great upheaval which sincere peace-lovers in every country still hope may be avoided. A brief survey of the existing situation lends ample confirmation to the dictum of Sir Edward Grey, because it must tend to establish the unpleasant conclusion that the lull in Europe has been produced by the imperative need which the leading nations feel for organis ing their internal resources and strengthening their armaments so as to be. ready for war when fate strikes the hour. The leading statesmen of Europe have been compelled, for the time being, to withdraw their attention from extern**! affairs, in order to concentrate it upon internal conditions in their respective countries. In other words, they have ceased from stirring the hellbroth in the international cauldron merely in order that they may replenish the fire beneath it with mo-e fuel. Singular confirmation for this view is afforded by a glance at recent events in the* leading countries of Europe. Under the guidance of M. Clemenceau, whose position as Premier appeared to be impregnable. Prance consistently pursued a policy of peace—not peace "at any price/' perhaps because the attitude of the French Government both at Algeciras and over the Casablanca incident was resolute and dignified, even whin the sincerity of its riesiro for peacr, if it could be obtained without

sacrificing the national honour, was unquestioned. But the pacific policy of the Clemenceau Government did not save it from falling when the nation discovered that under M. Clemenceau's leadership the French navy, which a few years ago was second only to that of Great Britain, had been allowed to fall into a condition of ruinous decay. M. Delcasse failed in his ambition to become the new Minister for Marine, but it was none the less owing to his clear view of the necessity for completely reorganising the French navy at once that the Government was reconstructed under the leadership of M. Briand. whose first act was to select an experienced naval officer who had held a hkh adminis trative post for the office of Minister for Marine, with an imperative mandate to restore efficiency to the navy. Similarly in Ger ■ many the retirement or rather the downfall, of Prince Bulow though traceable ultimately to the fact that he had opposed his will to that of his Imperial master, and had endeavoured during the notorious to restrain the EmperorVassumption of autocratic power in the conduct of the nation's foreign policy, was directly caused by his failure, as Imperial Chancellor, to force through the Keichstag a scheme of taxation designed to for the ever-increas-ing armaments of Germany. The Reichstag amended his scheme, and therefore he retired from office, but the money was provided for strengthening the national armaments. While Germany and France are both intent on strengthening; their fighting resources, the same [ reti3on for unobtrusive silence in in ernational affairs is discoverable in Russia. At the close of last Murcb the Russian Government susrained a humiliating diplomatic defeat at the bands of the German Government, entirely owing to the unpreparedness of Russia for war. It is hardly necessary to say that the Russian Government is now straining every nerve to place the army once more in a state of efficiency. It has also within the last few weeks contracted with three of the largest firms of British shipbuilders for the construction and armament of four Dreadnoughts, as well as other smaller ships of War. Great Britain's preoccupation with her fighting forces is not less noticeable than that of the other great nations. With the cooppration of delegates from the overseas dependencies the Government has just Iramed a scheme for completely reorganising the military and naval forces of the Empire, and there can be no doubt that when the scheme is in full operation it will enormously increase the strength of the Empire for. that "vigorous offensive" which military authorities declare to be the leading principle of an effective defence. Austria-Hungary is building four* Dreadnoughts, and Italy, which lives in constant distrust of Austria, is doing the same. The constitutional Government in Turkey is fully occup • ied with its gigantic task of endeavouring to weld the Christians and Moslems into a homogeneous population, and incidentally to construct a new and' more powerful Turkish army out of those apparently irreconcilable elements, for the retention of all existing Turkish territory, and posuibly for attempting the recovery of the fair, provinces which were shorn away from Turkey during the ill-starred reign of Abdul Hamid. Outside of Europe the indications are not more reassuring. The Secretary of the Navy at Washington has just recommended the construction of 30,000-ton battleships for the United States. The Japanese War Office recently announced with confidence in connection with a railway dispute between Tokio and Peking, that Japan was "ready for any eventuality." Last, but not least, China is providing itself with an efficient army, consisting of ter ritorial troops of which there are already about 50,000, including hor;se, . foot, and artillery, all thoroughly trained and equipped with modern weapons. And orders have been given for the construction of a Chinese navy. It is natural enough therefore after even a cursory glance at what is going on in the world, to distrust those "who cry peace, peace, when there is no peace," on the strength of an international lull that for one who listens keenly is broken by the universftl din of preparations for battle. |