BRITAIN'S FIRMNESS

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 248, 19 October 1922, Page 5

BRITAIN'S FIRMNESS

IN NEAR EASTERN CRISIS. 4AVED WORLD rHOM WAR. TRIBUTE TO LLOYD GEORGE 3.T Cabio— Tri's* A?*-> iiti.,:i — CVpjrlfiliU .•R.'l-pItH \f> Vi r. mi i APK r>'\\ V. ' 1,-mber IS. At replying tn charges by General that tin- Hriti-h i:.mrrnmpnt appealed :>i tin , l)<nniuioii* n\er -,he liPad~ nf ihi'ir ■>». n (•nM-rninents. General Smut- »flid he had no fault tn find with liic utiitudi- ><i ihe British Sovenimcnt. 111• ■ y wen , bound to 11■ 11i;"■ - the Dominion- of what was on. and did i-n ill the mo-;, ,-ivil ami polite ,ray. Ther aike.l the liii.m. but did rot invite them to do anything, whether they wished in »->•>. int.' themselves with Britain in *;w war broke nut with Turkey. There v;i- nothing to which exception could !»■ luken; tliey went further and said thai the request was really Rddressed tv New Zealand anil Australia, because uf the great Anzac tradition, and said cnuiniunicatioa to the l"nion was really pro forma.

If Mr. Lloyd (Jeorjje had not done what he did he would have failed in his duty to the Dominions. He was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the Near East question; the British Government knew Ins views on the subject already. General Smuts thoupht the British Government acted with great firmness, and saved without bloodshed the Empire and the world from very grave trouble.—(Reiner.)