THE H.B. TRIBUNE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1912. GERMANY'S DESIRE FOR EXPANSION.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 49, 10 February 1912, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1912. GERMANY'S DESIRE FOR EXPANSION.

It is peculiarly interesting to note the subtle change which appears to have tak n place in Anglo-German relations sim ;• the general elections in the Latter county;,. Before the elections t?" Paa-Gettnan and Semi-official press rang with denunciation c? Britain and free refeictice was made to the suspicions entet <ained as to tiie honesty cl Bi itish intentions. Jn fact, to put' the matter shortly, there aras- a violent wave of Anglopholiia passing over the country, and the most friendly utterauecs of o'tr statesmen were accepted as attempts to gull the German people. The check administered to the aggressive Impetialists, however, has in some way operated to bring about a distinctly beneficial change in the mental attitude of the German peoole t(/wards ’ ’ sit a i n. Lord Beresfold dines ui'h the Kamcr. Lord Haldane is reported to be on a o il to Berlin, m'd womier of wonders the German py: :-s has fe.imd some good in the utterances <;f Air. Lloyd V> r e do not attempt to fathom ihe r r -ason for this alteration in feeling. It may be that I he elections have brought a saner tone into tlie nation’s thoughts towards Britain, or it may bo the astute advisers of the Kaiser foresee chat their plans for aggrandisement must tempo; nriiy submit to ;t cheek, hcui-? is belter to play the game of friendship arid lull Britain into eoiiientmi’iU with a less vigorous i naval policy. On the other I.ami it may be n<- ; .ttr*r t.i these reasons. At t’lwes it takes but a little thing to turn the enrren* of a nanon's feelings. In any etisc there tb.e change stands manifested and if we judge I'iglttly I lermaoy r rands iti to benefit much more largely than n tlie Kaiser contirned to shake Ins mailed fist under the noses of the British Aibiiiriilt appears to be genernllv admitted rbat Germany's great 'i-'sire i« for expansion. She yearns for oversea colonies to take her surplus preiiikiir'ii and provide new fieidr for her indu-t ries. Rightly o> ■a r. iiigi v toe impression bus gamed hold tliat 'vi' have thwarted (>ernttrny m tins ("ti'sn,?. nenee he: irritation. 'A e behove, however, it is tbm aguressive siiiiii if German Imowialum wlneii has been the greate. t s’limblma blurb to her trmmlly nod mndil'tisir m'nimm; By B'itiiui. It is hardly likely that v e •'bculd go mu of the "‘w to enhanc" with ” err-’t (; -”A o".| trade ad rant ax os a Pswer wl’.ose great moving rr.iUts’.i sniih was the rivalry of oin- : itprentary. British staros•■u')> I'.-tvi’ me 'lo m.nnv blunders, but t'ff"v <u :i'd not '■’■■ell remain blind to the 'Joi' us in Genuan intentions.

i Apart from safeguarding ourselves tiiere has been no thwarting of the i Kaiser s ambitious. As the ”Spec(tutor" asks: "Where is Germany to (expand ' Can we give her any portion cf the globe which is now in our possession ’ Most people would at once say that this is not a reasonable proposition. Suppose, however. that we were willing to gratify her desire to expand at our exi pense • Even if we were it will be I found that we could not meet her wishes. It is sometimes said. Why not give her V. alfisch Bay. that small British possession which is set so inconveniently in the middle <,f Germany’s South .-African colonies ? The plain answer is that we could not do so without rousing a storm, which would in all probability lose us British South Africa. Those who know anything about tb.e Union know that the Dutch and English would, if the proposal were made, conibine in a positive tornado of protest. General Botha and his colleagues, quite as much as the must Imperialistic of Englishmen in the Cane or Natal, the Transvaal or Rhodesia, would forbid such a piece of political generosity at other people’s expense were our Government to contemplate it. If Walfisch Bay will not do. why not abandon our portion of New Guinea and allow Germany to possess the greater share of that great, island, of which she now holds a third ! Here the answer is equally clear and equally emphatic. Australia and New Zealand would protest to a man against any such policy. We need not continue the enquiry.” The "Spectator” then goes on to discuss acquiescence in Germany’s annexation .of Portuguese Africa and considers that although Portugal has forfeited right to British protection by slave trading, the acquirement of this territory could not take place without trouble. If them says the journal, "tiic African possessions of Portugal are barred out. would it be possible to endow Germany with the whole or part of the Belgian Congo ; Om' readers may remember that some four dr five years ago. while the iniquities of the Leopoldian regime in the Congo Free State were at their worst, the ‘Spectator’ suggested that the Powers which had created the Congo Free State should say to King Leopold that he had so greatly misused the trust imposed on him by Europe that Germany should be asked to take pos-s-‘ssion of tb.e Congo as the mandatory of Europe and to carry out the trust. Unfortunately this suggestion, though so plainly made, diu not call forth any response in Germany. Now the opportunity has passed. The tcy most that we could honestly say and do hero would he to toll Germany that if she can obtain the Belgian Congo by purchase, and if some convenient, nay necessary, readjustments of frontier were made, we should make no objection to the transfection. and, further, would do our best to obtain the consent of cthe’’ Powers. The only other portions of the work! in which Gorman expansion can bo considered a;e China and South America. But in China, eve,: if we were willing and if Germany were asb enough to embark upon an attack upon the giant who is just now awaking so uneasily from his sleep, we can hardly doubt that Russia, Japan, and America would bar the way. -\H we, need note is that it is not we who are the obstructives. and that, no one can possibly allege that but for us Germany might obtain an Empire in the Far East. Ln regard to South America and the well-known longings of Germany for possessions in that hemisphere, we can only repeat that- it is not Britain but the United States and the Monroe Doctrine which arc to blame if Germany finds obstacles to her aspirations The last possibility to be considered is that of Aria -Minor. Germany has already great interests there. Can she devejop them so as to acquire what she is alleged to desire 1 Here, again, our answer is that it is not we who forbid the banns. If Germany could arrange amicably with Turkey to obtain a protectorate over Asia Minor we should not attempt to inhibit the arrangement.” From this brief survey of the position it can reasonably be admitted that we have not "laid on: selves out” to frustrate the wishes of the German people—they have been and are row the victims of circumstance. Indeed, we might readily agree with tb.e opinion that Britain would gain advantage from extension of German oversea possessions as it would lead to the dissipation of the concentrated energy of the Kaiser's fleet in tin' North Sea.