TILTING AT WINDMILLS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 35, 10 February 1923, Page 7

TILTING AT WINDMILLS.

MR LLOYD GEORGE ON FRANCI 111-l'ilMU.',; r.\ \l. puis, \i;k. scries „,,.,, :„. , v ;,,,!,.,, hol | in \l: 1.101.l George. iv ■ ■ ', :, • . tllicsed |-'.e,|. il j policy 10-aid- v. \l. P.,:.„•..:. -, i Premie: ol r':.ti„. . ~!..; ■ a g:eai .inpi:-c 1.. ■ „■ T ~ '~ people. 11l- .onciit.. ~ii- 0:..d ~.".,H i.. !,,,(.. been rigiil i; !„■ iv . -:..;-1,-,| liotii 1 an , right p., „t. Km |„. sun. I'uiiii ~ point. which is s,, |j tr,.,,, ;■, i ■ lie position ! thai ~i;c rtoudeis ;,,,-,( , p-:i':,-in„ of ! sue., cxperie,,.,. ~,,. :,. Ml . : .,.ie,, so | Strang,-l\ .nil, ,-!,,, il,. d.imis C.it I there i, an ..,,].or: an: par! \ ill Prance j who- • .1:11:1 ■..,,, i: 1- t,, annex Ibe l.'lt ( hank ~l the |!:i ~•. 'This pin 11 ua. newr ! exist,,,!, ex.-ep. ,„ Co ~,:. _.„:,''. ,:, ol j Mr. 1.1..yd George. I :,„,„ i,.,s 1,010I Minister. ~:' cici," „ >~,',,,.,,' ,', ~ iv. i puiy. uli,. In- ~-t , ,: ~.,,.! -,:. . ~,, 111,----j reasonable ,lc-i_n ~: ~ >~,- aaiiicl ito -iilii,,-! 1:,. 1:.,:,,, ~,.,-i ... :.. l-'rcn i, .1...

entered :he head of :in> i. .-•,, Co lias us.' : ,„d i, Mr 1.h.x.l lb- ■:_,■ re.illy believes th.i i,,.-:,- s ~, France ~ party whu.e programme ,- :'■!■■ annexation »f •lie let! bank (■•' lhe liili.'lc he i- I lit ill. against a indin'.Ks. "The lai • Prim,. Minis'..-, t.-li, ii- tlw if. in I'llii. I re: c.l M I leiii-nceau the liriri.l, I _■ ;~t (■ in,. „,,:..,.. ii was don- in ocde, t., i,.-lp th,. Fr.-nch Prime: Minister !,, si uggb- „_.i.,,-, il„. ( :,a,i\inisu, ~i' !,is •■ ~:.,,,,i ,■;, ... 'Tins explanation of the I'.i.-t ..: (iv ••.antee. a- il is conceived h\ Mr. I.b,i,| Ccrge. does not lack pi niuiici. and I am sure that t. does „„: correspond in un.\ «ay lo M. Clemen.• '- thou.!,ls. In n'nv .--c. when in January la.t. Mr. Lloyd Gen.' again brought lui.ard :,i Cannes a proposed Pad of liiinraulee. lhe text w-hi.ii lie had el:_-or_let| was entirely illusory. Tn the lirst pla.-e. it had the'disadvantage of being unilateral, and. as a collsequence excluded aiiyrhing in the nature of alliance or equality: ii «a» offered for a period of ten years, less than that of the occupation of the let. 'bank, and therefore ran the ri-k of coming v. an end at the very time when it would been,,- of Use. ' It (lid not. meet in any uav the case of indirect aggres-ion _j Gertiiiiny: as. for instance, an atia.-k on Poland: it did not. in -hurt, re-i upon am military guarantee. Mr. 1.10y.l (ieorge now pretends that we asked for n military convention, properly so railed, and it is trn" that we -hould liaie found it natural to have, under the au-pi>-es and (inder the control oi the League of Nations, a convention analogous to that which existed before the war'between Ktighmd and Prance, so as to have iv the event of a German atlnck. lhe assurance of definite British help within a lived due.

"Bui this elementary guarantee being refused by Mr. Lloyd" (ieorge. we agreed to continue the discussion, and asked only that the pad should provide <"r permanent contact between the stafls; awl on February 1 last, we sent to l-on-don. a memorandum in which we specified iiur ideas _ Li'n .1 view to preventing the pa.-t lieing a mystification and a snare instead of a guarantee. But, Mr. Lloyd Oeortre then gave us to understand that the signing of the pact would have to lie delayed until au agreement had lieen readied between 11 = on lhe Genoa Conference. lhe Kastern quest inn. and the question of Tangier. The question of Tangier has remained in a'lievaiii-e. tl,« Cenoa Conference did no: fulfill (ill the wishes of Sir. Lloyd Oeor_e. and. whatever he miffht say. the blame lies neither with the devil, nor the Kreii-h Government, nor Lhe dispatches received !by M. rJarthou. It is due aimuly to the' fact thai the vieiw« of Mr. Lloyd Ueorge were incompatible with realities. Kastcn, affairs; liikewise have not taken the course which King Constantine. M. .;_u.u_ris, and Mr. Lloyd George hoped I hey would. :in,l nothing has been mure fortunate lor the pea,-,- of the world. Tbe I_lisaime Conference proves today that complete accord is henceforth possible (between England nnd Frain'e in regard to Eastern policy, ibut unfortunately that accord did not t-xi-t a few months ago.

j "In short, ii i- not correct to say thai al any lime Tramv Has rejected | the Pact of Guarantee: she -imply I asked thai this pad should not be deIprived v! enica.'.v. and should not bare jas its i-uuiiterpurl lie .-üburdinai .on "" Kieui-b pol'.-v at Ceima or in the l - t ""'*- | Bui the whole of Mr 1.1.nd «"'(,rgea j niisutider.-ianding tip pa r.-m In arises I from t insular psv-bological error which domiiittie- all In-- ie_soflll„ > f ! I, H believes thai there is in .ranee an Imperiali-t nnd aline .atioiii-i |»;inv. hi, auitude toward- l':'a.,.e at \ crsatlle, or ~ ,"„.,- the,, ,- clearly explained. Tharf.s ~-«. even owed lo him i" ibis <~i*e for n"t hivin- carried his conclusion- run her. Willi" a liMh- n,otc logic he w-I.ld ], aw . 1 ~ .lire to Indie II- 1" a wail inijertiiitel. the goodwill of iV|„ia„v lor disarmaiiienl and reparation-, and nol 1" have left for a -im-le .lav a solitary -oldier <"H Orman soil. A- he i- :, man of sense and a good tactician. 1"' has not gone ,l_, fa. all ... o".e. bin he .ill not s.eep in pciee ~,„ : hi. final object lias been att.ii.'d. Would It not t<e simpler, howevc. not to create chimeras a1 ,,l noi io attribute to Prance aims w-hi n -be neither ha- nor hat, ever liad? If Mr. |.!„vd (o-,,r_e would only take note of iii".. I ruth, he would recover, al! al once, hi- peace ol mind and would refr.rn from calumniating an Allied count r\ ."