LOOKING BACKWARD

Feilding Star, Volume 9, Issue 3792, 9 August 1932, Page 4

LOOKING BACKWARD

“War Guilt” was the topic of a discussion the other night at a meetving of the I,Auckland branch, of the League of Nations Union. The leader of the debate Dr J. C. Jteaglehole was .the devil’s advocate. He

said ”tb 0 dogma of Germany’s elusive responsibility for the war guilp wn's no more than a. legend.” Ho blamed Europe generally for if, but credited England with twice averting a conflict that wa.s inevitable and marked for 1914. Der Tag? The Aucklander maintained that Germany was besot with enemies. Mentioning Germany’s fear of “encirclement,” he. said the encirclement wa s a fact, although ■ t did not seen; tc have been the outcome of policy. He gave -it as his opinion! that, if the indirect causes could be put aside, the direct responsibility was first that of Austria, and Russia, secondly that ol France, and thirdly -Germany’s. Britain’s part had been well-intentioned throughout. But the Doctor did not add that it was Britain and Batons who had to- pay a s dearly as if it had the A* W4J* Guilty s