THE THREE POWERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 210, 29 May 1908, Page 7

THE THREE POWERS.

BANQUET SPEECHES., CERMANY AND THE BRITISH NAVY. A TRIBUTE TO LONDON. SY ffiLEORAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION —COFYRIOHI (Rec. May 28, 9.56 p.m.) London, May 28. President Fallieres and the Princo of Wale ' wcro guests at a lunchcon in tho Guildhall 1 Brilliant sunshine and immense and cnthu ' siastic crowds rendered M. Fallieres's pro [ gross to the Guildhall a magnificent demon stration. ! . Tho recoption by the Lord Mayor (tho Rt Hon. Sir J. C. Boll) waa attended by man; ' of tho, most distinguished men in tho King dom, including Mr. Asquith, Mr. Balfour and the Archbishop of Canterbury. Responding to' tho address of wolcomo b; tho Recorder (Sir Forrest Fultori), Prcsidon Fallieres said ho rejoiced to see tho cordia relations' of tho two countries daily drawing closer. The Prince of Wales and tho I'rinco ant Princess' Christian attended the banquet whero the Lord Mayor proposed the healtl of the President. 31. Fallieres, who received an ovation gracefully described London as " tho heartl from which radiates generous liberal l 'idea: and tho indefeasible principles of all pro gress and civilisation." He referred to the sentiments of trust anc lively sympathy animating France in hoi relations to Britain. The Government of.the Republic strovo with all its : might tc strengthen the happy relations of friendshij and business uniting the two countries. M; Fallieres also referred to the brilliani success of tho Exhibition. , I FRENCH OFFICERS ; AND SAILORS IN •'.LONDON. London, May 27. Two hundred and thirty French officers arid sailors ■•were to-day shown the London sights and feted. (Rec. May 28, 9.5G p.m.) London, May 28. A largo party of officers and crows of the armoured cruiser Leon Gambotta and the French destroyers entertained in London and visited tho Exhibition. , TSAR'S AUTOCRATIC WAYS. THE KING'S VISIT. A PROTEST BY THE LABOUR PARTY. , \ London, May 27. Mr. J. O'Grady (Labour member for East Leeds), speaking in tho Houso of Commons, suggested the suspension of tho King's proposed jVisit to Russia, owing to tho imprisonment' of many members of tho First and Second Dumas and the continuance of official murders. . • ' N Mr. Asquith, Primo. Minister, severely rebuked such reflections on a foreign nation. Tho Speaker stopped Mr. O'Grady from further intervention. Tho Labour Party has rosolvcd to writo to Sir Edward Grey,. Secretary of Stato for Foreign Affairs, urging tho abandonment of the King's visit. A FRENCH,-ALARMIST. BRITISH ADMIRALTY'S ALLEGED • PLAN; ... ; ! Parts, May 27. French newsnapors of all shades of opinion warmly acclaim tho solidity of tho entente cordiale. , "L'Eclair," one of the leading political dailies of Paris, alono advises caution, lest Germany should bo provoked. "L'Eclair" adds:—''The British' Admiralty is madly bent upon destroying Germany's squadron," GREAT BRITAIN BLAMED. GERMAN VIEWS. The Anglo-Gormau -Friendship Committee (President, Lord Avebury) has recently been arguing anew for limitation of armaments. In a recent' debate in the Reichstag, the spokesman of tho Centre, Baron von Hertling. said:— "I must continue to maintain that the question of'disarmament can never be settled by moans of a general conference attended by all States, great 1 and small. 1 But a limitation of armaments might, perhaps, be effected by a different method—l mean in cases 'whero there is,'rivalry between two States: The solution might in such 1 a case abo the same which is often resorted to in 'the commercial world. When two rivals are engaged in a life-and-dentli' strugglo and both are compelled to engage for years in unremunerative expenditure in order to maintain the competition, tho moment as we know often arrives when even the stronger party considers it to bo bettor policy to give up, tho struggle and to unite with his , weaker rival in order to form a syndicate. This is, no : doubt, 1 a distant prospect, but why should it not be suggested that a similar method of understanding might 'be adopted between two rival nations? If the case be such that when one Stato lays down a ship the othSr thinks that it must at once lay down two, may not the time come when tho Power .which has been the stronger comes to the conclusion that it would bo in the interests of both to limit their dxcessivo armaments?" . , - ~ ; ' WEAPONS FOR A WEAKER NAVY. Horr Bnssermann, Leader of tho National Liberals, in discussing The Hague Conference, seemed to think that .balloons and i anchored mines might enable a woaker nnval Power to improve its position as regards a strongor rival. He strongly approved of tho action of tho German plenipotentiaries at The Haguo in regard to these matters,, and added:— "There can bo no; doubt that in the balloon and in tho submarine niino instruments of attack and defence for weaker naval Powers aro to bo found such as wo -certainly cannot, afford to give up in tho present stage of development." Horr Bassermann further ' observed that "as to tho question how far the extent of armaments can be fixed, each nation must decide for itsolf in the interests of its security and its preservation." He further seomcd to consider that Great Britain was to blame for tho present rapid growth of naval armaments, since he said:—"lt is not our fault that all tho nations, aro nowadays compelled to build these monster ships and that England mado a beginning with those. Dreadnoughts and tlius hersolf destroyed the valuo of the greater part of her navy." KAISER'S INDISCRETIONS. On tho other hand, Horr Bobel (Socialist leader) maintained that in very high and authoritative quarters a number of expressions had boon publicly employed which were bound to excite feeling in England. Ho said:—"When the .words were uttered, 'Tho trident ought to bo in our fist,' and on another occasion, 'Our future is on the water,' when tho notorious dispatch was sent. to'Presidont Ivruger, that dispatch which ?tho sender himself is said to havo afterwards characterised -as 'fatal'; when, again, the unfortunate saying about 'the Admiral of tho Atlantic-to tho Admiral of tho Pacific' was employed—these and other oxprossions represent a, wholo array of utterances with regard to which there can bo no doubt as to tho quartor against which they wore directed." •