TREATY OF PEACE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 176, 26 July 1919, Page 7

TREATY OF PEACE.

BRITAIN'S ACCEPTANCE. XX. LLOY3 GEOBGE GBATHTED ZTEW TRIPLE ALLIANCE. JBy Caaie.—Press Association.— Copyright) I i Received 9.35 a_m | LOXD-jX. .July 21 f delayed). [ _ in the House of Commons, replying to the debate on the second reading" of the ' irea-y of Peace. Hr. laoyd George said that in his opinion the Government and the Peace C onferenoe had every to . be gratiiied at the nature of "the debate. £j in th-e main the House had accepted , the treaty. He believed that public, opinion concurred. The discussion also covered the treaty i entered into between France. Amenta. I and Britain. I; had been acked why this trsaty was necessary. It was no "proof or Taci of confidence on the part of tile ' French people. We must remember the I natural ansiety and nervousness of France in the face of -his terrible ' menace. The League of Nations mus: I necessarily be a> a great experi Trent. France naturally ray- that sht! believes in the experiment and will do ! to carry it out. bat would like ! to teel behind her the might and power •-•:" the British Empire and the United States in order that the league may have ■3. better chance of establishing itself a= a permanent organisation. Criticisms of the Treaty of Peace itself had been mutually destructive. Sosm criticised the conference because it had gone too far in exaotinir indemnities: : others said that it bad not jmc far enough in regard t.t reparation. Britain | got substantial compensation for the j whole of the shipping sunk, for the lives ; lost, and for inury sustained by sailors, and would ask for ail damage in respect or a;r ra.ds. wh:»*h would amount to a very considerable =nn —t.A. and X.Z. xr.d Renter, i Mr. lioyd George, conrinuing. said :hat moreover compensation had to be paid in respect of ail pensions and aliowari''es, which would be a. very con- i -iderable annual charge on taxes on * chis country. If we received from Ger- j many Dayment of these sums we would . receive verr considerable relief. He asked, "Was there the remotest chance of exacting all the costs of the war!" The total cost of the war for the j whole of the Allies was £30,000,000,000. | The question was examined by most able Allied exnerts. who endeavoured to exact the uttermost farthing pos.-ible from ; Germany. It was beyond doubt they hid done it.— j> . j .'. : ,»-*.— ' Hr. Lloyd Ceorg-c. continuing, raid there was criticism that the compensation was indeterminate, but it was impossible to determine the Ssjure, because none could the damage to ievaatited regions extendini? over 4'J' l miles by 30 miles. It a definite amount were ±sed we should simply have trans- ■ ferred uncertainty from ' li'manv to France. We had civen riermany an opportunity of =erd : .n2- experts through the devastated regions to malo , their own estimate. Tf such were submitted w:-hin four months, and if it was fair. France would accent it. Germany had lost three-quarters of her iron ore. one- I third oi her coal, sevea millions oi her j population, md the whole of her, Nobody thought Germany i xrald pay the whole cost of the war. | namely. eighteen nundrpd niiliions j reari-r. even if the whole of these terri- | tories had b-en under her control. All Allied experts concluded that the re- ] paration attached to the treaty was the ; limit of Germany's capacity xo pay. He said they had taken the riirht coarse S :o end eonserip-Tion. They couid not end ii-mamente until they struck a: the roots of Prussian militarism, which was the root cause of conscription in Great Britain. France. Italy. R::ssLa. and America. Therefore until Press ianwm had been uprooxed it wa= impracticable to abolish conscription. A eood peace had been secured oni~ because Germany recognised the existence of our armies on her =oil. and tha.» the Allies would be able to impose their own terms. The Treaty of Versailles would hav--b<?*>Ti impossible without armies in the Rhineland. He was of opinion that br the NTew Year a voluntary army would suffice for ail our requirements overseas. As resarde the trial of the ex-Kaiser. he said taax the persons responsible for the awful ei&aa'hter that ha-d oi?curTe<i =hocid not zriil. Our Allies had tsufFcient wnidence in Great Britain that whoever came here would ha'e a trial equal to the highest of the •British Government, and there was none higher ail the world over. If war was to be* ended it mu-t be treated a- a g~eat crime, not as an honourable game. That wa= why. ar.er reffeoxion. a person who wis as the author of the ■war should be tried for hk crimes.— .A. and X-Z. Cablea