BRITAIN, FRANCE AND GERMANY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 23 November 1911, Page 5

BRITAIN, FRANCE AND GERMANY.

THE PANTHER INCIDENT

MORE EXPLANATIONS,

THE PART PLAYED BY SIR E GREY.

BY CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. :;..'■■■ BERLIN, Nov. 22. An official extract from Herr yon .Kiderlin-Wachter's confidential speech *b the Budget Committee has been published,, which declares that a telegram on June 13 instructed the Ambassador to inform the Algeciras signatories of the despatch of the Panther ■and the reason for the step. The Ambassador in juondpn was additionally instructed to declare the Act <of Algeciras had become illusory, and that it was necessary to protect German lives and property until order was restored.

An appeal had been made by a num"foer of well-known firms to protect lives, •"as it was doubtful if Prance ,was able te revert to the status quo of 1906. •Germany was eventually prepared to seek with.France a solution in accordance with the signatories. Britain was therefore informed of her intentions before the Panther went to Agadir, because the above communication was made on July 1, and Britain did not' •enquire in reference to it until July 21. At Sir. E. Grey's instance an inter•vievr between him and the Ambassador -occurred. Sir E. Grey's opinion on action, despite the Ambassador's explanations as to when the Panther was despatched was again manifested at this interview. Sir E. ■Grey's opinion was the result of the ' charges which the French and British press, and indeed some officials had constantly urged against Germany's policy. Herr yon Kiderlin-Wachter 'remarks that Sir E. Grey sought to discuss Morocco unofficially, and. had at the, outset emphasised that in view of Britain's great economic interests Britain must participate in any settlement of the Moroccan questions. Sir E. Grey now declares he has been waiting, hoping for an agreement between France and Germany, and that It was obvious, that France was unable to accept fche German demands. He feared the negotiations would be resultless, and the question would again come to the front.

What, he asked, was Germany doing in the closed harbor at Agadir and the ninterlanu. He knew nothing of what Tvas occurring, and added, that Agadir ■was suited tor the construction of a war port. Nobody knew Germany's intentions at Agadir. He must expect questions in Parliament if the present negotiations failed and the Agadir question, which" involved British interests, "would immediately arise. Sir E. Grey believed that now was the time for Britain to participate in the negotiations, from which he held aloof while there was reason to hope 'for an agreement outside Morocco, inasmuch as Britain would not be affected if France and Germany, as at first suggested, sought an agreement by regulation of the Cameroons frontier. The Ambassador replied he was not informed of the details of the negotiations, and was unable to admit that the .German demands were obviously unac■oeptable, adding in that case they had ■not been proposed. The suggestion that Britain should join in the negotiations "was apparently based on the suggestion ■that Germany mieht build a naval sta-tion-at Agadir. These were suppositions whereof he knew nothing. He referred ' to Biitain's compensation in Egypt, and I •declared if France desired a predominant position in Morocco she must offer to "Germany an equivalent elsewhere. Sir E. Grey .replied that it. was un-. ;wise to oppose German expansion in the heart of Africa, but in the event of "failure to Tench an agreement wilh Trance the situation would become less ucute if discussed before further incidents arose in regard to Agadir. The foregoing conversation showed that Sir E. Grejr assumed that Germany meant to stay in Morocco.' __ The Ambassador's report reached Berlin on the 22n3, and he was immediately instructed to assure Sir E. Grey that it was not intended to establish a naval T^ort in Morocco. " Germany would never think of such a thing. It was an hallucination, and Germany had no designs ■on Moroccan territory. Negotiations -were begun and the strictest secrecy -guaranteed.

Germany took her obligations seriously, and had hot.eyen informed her allies.

France supplied the Press, also her 'friends, witn incomplete information, calculated to cast suspicion on Germany. The latter, therefore, ceased negotiations until secrecy had been guaranteed. If the negotiations had failed, she intended to insist on the execution of the Algeciras arrangement in letter and ■spirit.

(Received Nov. 23, 10.30 a.m.) BERLIN, Nov. 22. The same day as Mr liloyd George's | was .read in Berlin, Sir E. Grey's \ subsequent suggestion for permission to in Parliament Germany's declaration that she had no designs on Myoccan territory were not complied •wfthlest it be interpreted as due to Mr Lloyd George's speech. The Ambassador oii July 24 was instructed to point oui that the speech furnished the occa? for a large part of the British and the entire French press to make violent attacks on Germany. Sir E. Grey mujst perceive that the effect of the Minister's speech must give rise to dissaiis-. faction in Germany in a high degree. straightforward acceptable proposal related to regions which, did not affect British interests. Then followed an intimation mentioned by Henv Hollweg, cabled on November 9, $hat if the British Government had caused the Minister to make a declaration; which /could be. interpreted as a warning to bordering on a throaty it would be difficult to find grounds for 'procedure, and a friendly agreement "between Germany and Franop could not be prompted thereby. Had Britain "intended to complicate and cojifuse the isituation, "and bring.iinings to a violent outburst, she could have chosen no better means.:

Sir E. Grey promised that there was no intention;, to make a territorial ;de'claration in ' Parliairient, bui> remarked ith&t. the cas.e was by no means' allaying "the disquieting feeling"Whic§: prevailed. Herr yon Kiderlin-Waehter added that Sir E. Grey defended Mr Lloyd George's speech as moderate, and said it was quite right to deliver it. Germany replied that the English would ascertain the unacceptableness of Germany's demands in her Colonial sphere without knowledge of any political equivalent offered by iiermany, and appealed to Britain to assist in assuaging i;he excitement prevailing in France. Thereafter negotations made better pro-? gress.