THE H.B TRIBUNE. MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 1911. THE EUROPEAN CRISIS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 34, 23 January 1911, Page 4

THE H.B TRIBUNE. MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 1911. THE EUROPEAN CRISIS.

The complications which have arisen in Europe in connection with the Netherland Government’s decision to spend some £3,200,000 on coast defences have occurred with so tragic a suddenness as to make every Britisher realise how justified have been the appeals and warnings heard lately regarding our own defences. In a moment the positions of the Powers on the European chess board have been changed by the masterly diplomatic play of Germany. Little Holland, with her population of five and a-half millions, is the pawn moved by the mailed fist to place France, Belgium and Great Britain in check, and on the next move of these Powers depends the success or failure of Germany’s bold attempt. The strategic importance of the coastal defences of Holland was fully described in the excellent article published in the “Tribune’ ’last Thursday, and by it our readers are fairly well informed regarding the magnitude of the question as concerns its importance to the British Empire. The position in a nutshell is that a neutral State, and one that has no possible cause to expect a rupture with Great Britain, suddenly enters .upon the work of erecting fortifications the guns of which can only be directed against oui- fleets ) while her German frontier, where she might reasonably expect danger, she leaves unfortified. By this act she is shown to be under the tutelage of Germany, and the world is convinced that she is endeavouring to safeguard her independence by conforming to the wishes of her mighty neighbour. Who is there that will now say that there is no truth in the story told a year ago of the letter the Kaiser wrote to Queen Wilhelmina warning her in a fatherly way “that, her little kingdom must put itself beyond all risk of an invasion by England, or else he would be compelled to take military possession of it in case of war. He had no annexation aim; it would be a purely defensive move.” The actions to-day of the “little kingdom” remove all doubt on that point. As it was stated in the article already referred to, Helder, which guards the entrance to the Zuyder Zee, has been strengthened with new forts; .it has been re-

armed, and its garrison is augmented. v, Hook of Holland, the fortress which covers Rotterdam, has a new fort' of great strength. Ijmuiden, the strong place at the sea end cf the Amsterdam canal, has been fortified and made the headquarters of a flotilla of torpedo boats. The new proposal is to spend about £2,000,000 on more fortifications and £1,200,000 on the fleet. Of the, appropriation for fortifications, » large proportion is designed for the erection 'of great works at, Flushing, at the mouth of the Scheldt, works so strong as to make entrance into the river impossible to warships. The cables bold us on Friday if she pushes the present scheme she will thereby notify in the plainest possible manner that she has been compelled by Germany to join the Triple Alliance. If this is so, and the proposed fortifications are completed, the position of Germany in the North Sea will be strengthened to a degree that will give Britain very little hope of successfully contending with the Kaiser’s fleet. The cables to hand at the time of writing show that Germany continues to play her game of bluff, and even has the effrontery to declare that France and England, :n attempting to interfere with Holland, are really aiming at the Fatherland, and that “the latter nust oppose these organised and well-laid machinations.” It is Britain’s privilege to make the next move, and for the safety, welfare ind honour of the Empire, it is to he hoped that the British statesmen will not vacillate but at once demand that the expenditure 011 fortifications on the Netherlands •oast shall cease. Germany is evidently determined to force the

issue, and the crash may as weh come now as at a later time, when she will he Letter prepared to me?; and sink our fleet.