PANIC DEPRECATED.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 714, 13 January 1910, Page 5

PANIC DEPRECATED.

BRITAIN AND GERMANY. GROWTH OF NAVAL ARMAMENTS. , Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright _ ! V'. .'.London, January 11, Sir Edward Grey, Secretary for Foreign Affairs,■ speaking :at Edinburgh,- condemned the recent attempts to .create : panic about the possibility of war with ■ Germany. . , • ! Tho increasing of naval expenditure. L had, said the Miniister, produced no coolJ ness between the tiro,' Governments, "but ' had: doubtless ■ had an effect upon the press and public opinion, resulting in a >■ certain anxiety regarding .the: future. .' 1 . Eventually., somo - agreome'nt. of, a', perfectly, voluntary nature-might bo,arrived at. In time, the,.; German programme ; would bo completed, and there-would be ' an ascertained proportion ~between tho ' navies,of.the two countries, which/might put rivalry in naval - expediture at rest. 1 ■''' O ,'.'f f'' : ' "AN.ASCERTAINED PROPORTION." WILL BOTH SIDES BE CONTENT? ■; ,The Liberal nowadays with regard, to naval. limitation—as was fore- > casted;; recently,;by/tUe;''Daily >. to aim at agreement after the present , berman Naval Law' programme, extend-' r mg-'..to 1917, is completed:/' Sir ' Edward: 3 re J'.hopes that there will then be "an , ascertained > proportion." /•'- But will both Britain:, and Germany be satisfied'"with , that.proportion? ' . How Are Interests To Bo Measured? ex-Chancellor of ..Germany, Prince ■ von Bulow, or.ee said:— i ; the,rams,as other .Powers,'haw [ regarded' the international limitation of • armaments -as, inv and for, itself an -ex- - . tremely desirable thing..- I do not desire, ir.dred, to , reject forth with and without examination every • possibility of limita- *•' ,™ a ' offhand."3ut the. technicai 'difficulties alone, appear to me sufficiently coni siderabla. / ,Then there, is the; question of / standards. Where'are the onteria which are ,to; be, decisive,;in this .matter?:; How can; the growth, of jinterests and/ of . eco-' 1 • nomic: ambitions. be. measured,, and how, I can .the technical inventions.of the. future, 1 and their consequences be. reckohyl' with ,; in advance? ' .v.;:/.,. ,//■/:./^ "Something more than a wish to reduce . armaments is. necessary,''VPrince .Bulow asserted, and added that the. most difficult, , problem was to, find a basis of reduction which' woijld -suit: all' the interested . Powers.:,■;v,;.' Germany's Various Fronts. ; 1 ."Although' Germanv's 'pbsition in , the ■ middle of; Eurono 'strategically.'! the ; most' unfavourable; in . the .world,":, said ' I 0 . Chancellor,"the strength': of : our Arihy and;our:financial burdens have de- ■ termined us.'not to expand our Navy be-. i yond;,the liihits'-already decided',upon as, . necessary, for, and commensurate 'with our defensive requirements. Our armaments jaro dictated by, the necessity of : to.protect ourselves.on,various fronts. 'Our'peace itduld : be' seriously},thrcate'ned ; . if our. military .'armaments .were: reduced ■ below : :.th6, standard.' demanded. , by tho European situation.. ' , "Finally )th« extent of.'our-inaval ariiJa-' : ments'is sottled'by.'law ehtirely-from the. l point of view, of the. defence..,of -'our coasts and the 'protection 'of - our ' trade. , On the- one hand our '.gcographical/posi-. ; tion, which for'all time makes our safety dependent upon the -' strength - of our Army, and, 03 the other, the measure of. our-economic' and financial resources, so' ■ heavily : burdehed:by the demands. for : . the. Army ,and. a -social .policy far :in :adva,nca of that:, of. all {other 'countries, -makes it completely, s out : of ,the question-cthat we should: overstep in naval-construction the limit prescribed." '. r