GUARANTEE TREATIES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 184, 29 April 1908, Page 7

GUARANTEE TREATIES.

—— ■ SPEECH' BY THE KING. IT. TELF.finArH —press ikssooiATios^rr.oPTßioiT. Stockholm,' April 27. King Edward, at a gala dinner in Stockholm Palace, said ho believed an agreement such as had been signed, by the North Sea Powers would materially! coiiduco to tho peaceful development of those countries and the maintenance of everlasting peace. . THE POSITION OF HOLLAND. ; The King's visit to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway is simultaneous with the recent abrogation, of the Franco-British treaty guaranteeing Sweden's integrity, and with the publication of the new treaty between Russia, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark, guaranteeing tho status quo 'of the Baltic Sea. But it would appear from the cablegram; that though ho was speaking in the capital of Sweden, the King's remarks wore confined to the Anglo-German Convention regarding the North Sea. The organ of the Pan-Germanic League, tho "Alldeutsche Blatter," observes with regard to the North Sea Convention:—"We. would in the meantime point out that, if tlio object of the Convention is to ensure the neutrality of Holland, it would mean a very clever move on the part of German diplomacy. For it is ciuite ofear. that the neutrality of Holland in the event of an Anglo-Germun conflict would be of the highest possible value for us, since we should be in ; a position to maintain our wholo m aritime. trade by way of the Rhine ports in ships sailing under a neutral flag. England will now bo 'compelled to declare herself; an' end will bo put to tho lie that tho independence of Holland is menaced from the Gorman side, whereas the menace is really from England. If, in tho event of war, this treaty should be broken In- Fmglniul. the odium of this proceeding would fall, upon England, and we should get an entirely free hand."' -v ■ .