The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, JULY 10, 1911. THE POWERS AND MORACCO.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 162, 10 July 1911, Page 4

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, JULY 10, 1911. THE POWERS AND MORACCO.

for the eatue that tacts astutanc*, for the wrong that needs resUtom, Wer the future in the dietonee, And the, good that •Bβ CM da.

We fear that the femporary itdl wMcl ipnawHi Gernia"fly's : -sti'dden. in Morocco' is- but the caStoi 'befoife the storm. It is imp6Bsible for fie 'Powers. i& igiipre thJs' flagrant defia'rice of {He G-oncert of Eurorpe; for Germany'e- action practically ambtiinlfs io an opfen of the Algeciras treaty ifo doubt iElngland and France will move' carefufly; itit We already fia've Mr; Asquith's a'ssufalnce • that Government "will duly protect Britain's interests and fulfil its -treaty obligations' with France." It -would .appear that at least one section of the Genna'n's ha"d fioped that Englaid would be inclined to let the case go by . default hi • Germany's: favour, but "Die , Post" interprets lilr. Asquftn: mofe accurately when it asserts that England will not think of remaining neutrail, anl that our, Prime -Minister has practically warned Gernirany to fce'e'p ncr hands off Morocco. Certainly. if the Germans expected to steal a march on the French or effect any_ sort of "coup de.main",in Morocco without attracting attention or stirring up trouble-.for .themselves, ftiey h'av6 -been giievdttsly flisapp'c-mfea.

Apparently the iaiser and his Ministers • assumed tKat Gfcrmatiy w6iild-have to - face -.France' alone/ and' that eveirif the "entente cordials" stood the strain and she had to reckon -with. England as •well as 'Francej she need not trouble about the other member of the Dual Alliance. But either in answer to an appeal from France or In obedience to th 6. promptings of sbfand political iitstinct, Russia is preparing to' take a hand in ihe game.- Russia's question as to -why Germany has sent a warship to a jjorfc -where itiere aire flo German's, no foreign trade, and no need for any special effort to maintain order, is as ironically offensive fis Hie amenities of diplomatic life will permit;; and the Suggestion thai Oi&gland, France, and Russia sh<nild send 'battleships' to' a&ist Germany in the duty she has gratuitously undertaken, contains a covert threat that Germany can hardly fail to understand. There' is rib "entente" he'tween Erigland and Russia in the - diplomatic sense of the term, bat it is clear thai in .this instance at letst Russia 4 , is, prepared to staria side by side -with - England and France in maintaining ife "status quo"; and thif is; a contingency that the Kaiser, with all his impetuosity, cait.ha'rdly afford to ignore.

We may reasonably assume ti&t Germany understands precisely the feelings with which she is regarded Try Russia just now. The Czir and tiis Ministers can Hardly have forgotten the public humiliation inflicted <m their cfcrantry only a few months ago; when Germany by a threat of armed intervention forced Russia to withdraw her demand for an international conference and to leave Austria in undisturbed possession of the provinces she had annexed. Russia is not likely to miss a chance of retaliation, and Germany, while sure of opposition here, can hardfy expect active support from any other quarter but Austria. It is true that she is credited with having negotiated -with Spain, and played upon the (Spanish jealousy of France in liloroc66. Biit without further evidence, it is impossible to believe the story to

which, our-cables leferj ihkH the Prench

have iieen negotiating with; Germany, offering to acknowledge the concessions the Germans have, secured from the Sultan if only Germany will recognise- the predominant political interests of France in Morocco. It is indreflible that France would compromise her .position and sacrifice the sympathy of her friende in this ■way; and for the -tniie we, may safely regard this as-one of" the many excuses and subterfuges ihat the German^'are putting forward 1 to explain the extraordinary. coiirS6 that they? have chosen to follow. •■ ,v ■■ ■ '• ••

These more or less ingenious expedients iheihselves an: evidence t>i the -vveakiiss of Germany's case, are not likely to produce much impression, upon public Opinion in Europe. .Unfortunately one section of the British Liberal party is opposed England's present policy in Morocco because il is likely to lead to "foreign" entanglements";'!™! so iwe find the "Daily News" giving a friendly lead to the Germans t>y accusing Fjranee of aggression in Morocco.- Several of,the German newspapers have seized eagerly on this idea; and some of them have even (alleged, that the tribes in the disaffected districts have petitioned Gerniany to protect thenij infereritiaily against tie evil consequences of French misg&verniridht. It is sbniething of a , relief %6 tnrn from this complicated maze of intrigue and riiisfepfesentatibti to ,the outspoken admission df " Die Post" that real interest lit Morocco consists in. the possibility of using it as the starting point of a Mahommedan insurrection that might tie France's -hands in North Africa during a European war,, The cynical frankness of this amazing con- ! fessionis eflfiugh to explain ttie unfortunate reputation that German diplomacy has won in Europe during the p%st thirty years. And assuredly, whatever be the outcome of the Moroccan crisis, Germany need hardly expect to the necessity for "struggling anew in a -world of distrust •with open amd secreit foes'," if she carries' oiit -the rest of 'her international obligations in. the spirit she has displayed, in dealing with Fftlnce ' arid Mof6cco.