FRANCE AND GERMANY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 13 March 1913, Page 4

FRANCE AND GERMANY.

The "Spectator" has good ground for drawing attention to the peril' cf what it' describes as the "now-or-never" policy in France with respect to 'Germany, hut in a cabled summary, at any rate, there is no mention ol' one of the strongest factors in such a policy. This, as pointed out hy the (Jliristchurch Press, is the fact that while the population of France is stationary, that of Germany as increasing. In his book, "Modern Germany," written a few yeans ago, Mr J. Ellis Barker touched on this point. In 1870, he pointe<l out there was not much difference between the two populations, but in 1907 that Germany was the larger by more than fifty per cent. He went on to say' that if the German population continued to increase at the present rate the time would not be far distant when France would no longer bo able to rival Germany in the number of her soldiers, and would automatically sink to secondary rank among the Powers. "Time .is fighting on Germany's side, and, therefore, it is to the interest of Germany to maintain peace with France as long as possible, whilst it is to the interest of France to utilise the earliest opportunity that may offer for crushing Germany." Now that there is added to the difference in man-power, the fact that the Triple Alliance is at a. disadvantage, tlie situation is more than usually perilous.