NATIONAL SECURITY.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 302, 15 September 1908, Page 7

NATIONAL SECURITY.

ONLY GUARANTEE, SPEECH BY LORD ROSEBERY. WAR ALARMS. (BY TKLEGBATn—PRESS ASSOCIATION—CGPIEIGHT.) (Roc. September 14, 9;5U p.m.) /London,;' September. '14... Lord Rosebery;: in ; reply. to, a correapondent, writes that'-adequato'iTifearis of defence is the only guarantee against war alarms.' No nation can afford;to base it's, security on tho dispositions ;of other countries,--. It must for its security rely on itself alone. " I NVAS'IW 'bF ENQDCtf D':" " SOME OPINIONS "QFGERMAN DESIGNS. During a debate-on the Old Age Pensions Bill in the House of,. Lords, both. Lord Itosebory and Lord Cromer delivered remarkable speeches, the keynote of .which was a fear that the financial .burden of old age pensions would result iri'starving the nafional defences. Lord Rosebery' asked "the Government for all assuranco that they were not dealing a blow at the Empire,. and Lord Cromer delivered a serious warning Vtfn the gravity of spending money on such the Government should be making provision for a European war, "which may ;notr'improbably'be forced upon us before many y.ears have ; elapsed. ;A German newspaper, in reply, emptied its scorn on Lord Cromer's,,apprehensions, v...Still,i the existence of some degree ofwar scare" in well-informed circles at Home is indicated in several direction?..,. JH. ,W. Lucy to the " Sydney' Morning fleraia," under date July 31:- . .-. . „ , . .... "Sir Edward 1 Grey's Teferenc'o'to Germany, pointedly dragged into a speech in Committee of Supply on Monday night, affords.significant testimony to the-'existence- -of" a grave- appro- 1 hension that possesses im]Wtant"-.;sectidns'-pf public men. It is born of the conviction that the determinedii^policyf-lbfji.Germany is," thedestruction of this country, to which end all the forces of the Empire are secretly devoted. They believe thaf; the.. Emperor., William, affectionate nephew of King Edward Vll, avowed admirer of British institutions, from time" to time an honoured, guest, ,has devoted himself heart and soul" to 1 the carrying'' out of this perfidious purpose. AmoTtfgSt''parafcular' : proofs cited of the soundness, of tho suspicion is the circumstance thfrt'three years'hen£e"'the' German navy Estimates will amount to 23 millions, being double what they wore less than 12 months ago, when ' the. German- Emperor, entertained at Guildhall, declared that the desire of his heart was to maintain pacific relations with all the world,- moro particularly with hisbeloved Eng1and.,',,',;.,... "What strikes me in connection with this scare is the character.-.of. some-of > the • men who avowedly "siibmit '"themselves to it: " I have heard one of our greatest Field Marshals, talking the' matter over in the privacy of the dinner table,' state his' deliberate opinion that Germany is, and for a long time has been, preparing for tho invasion, of England.. Ho believes that when-- tlio -blow : falls -it- will be with double force. Gormany will suddenly pick a quarrel with France, mil march straight on Paris, will reach its gates within the period of five days (in these circumstances thero is nothing like precision); will storm tho capital, and, as the price of peace, will annex the French fleet. Thus reinforced it will be strong onough to hold the Channel passage whilst-its troops pour into'hqipless'EfiglaifiJ. i" " " This sounds like the maunderings of a lunatic, or an extract from tho leading columns of a London half-penny newspaper. It is the opinion, calmly expressed, of a great soldier, who has proved' himself' in "emergencies a level-headed man._ He expresses the opinion of many authorities 'in' his 'profession. Nor is the army singular in this view. Ho navy is united with it'-'in i conviction of German designs, to the defeat of which "naval manoeuvres in home waters are-chiefly directed; -Here again I testify, not from Tjupoiir, ,but. .from personal knowledge of the views of ono of our most active, most capable . admirals. in high command." ' '■ ' • v