THE POSITION.

Marlborough Express, Volume LI, Issue 154, 2 July 1917, Page 5

THE POSITION.

SPEECH BY MR LLOYD GEORGE

'FUTURE OF GERMAN COLONIES

(Aus and N.Z. Assn. and Reuter ") LONDON, June 29. In the course of a speech after receiving the Freedom of Glasgow, Mr Lloyd George said that, after carefully reckoning -.the possibilities, the Government had come to the conclusion on the best advice that submarines cannot sarve us nor drive our armies out of the fields abroad. Our i osse? during May and June, although heavy, were hundreds of ohousands of tons beneath the AdJ™r<alty's forecast. Arrangements had been ■ made for frustrating and destroying submarines. ( 'I have ho hesitation in saying," •continued the Prime Minister, * "that •iT c 111 do our pavt fche 'submarines will be as great a failure as the Zeppelins. You may be driven to eat less wheat and' more barley and oats. We are running the war on a stock of energy drawn from that food."

E Alluding to Mesopotamia, Mr Lloyd George remarked that what would happen to Mesopotamia must .be left, to the Peace Congress to decide. . The country could never be restored to the blasting tyranny of the Turk. The same observation applied to Armenia.

Regarding the fate of the German colonies, the desires and wishes of their peoples must be the dominant factor. The untutored peoples of the world would probably want gentler hands than those of the Germans to rule them.

Was there any desire on the oart of Germany to settle on these essential^ terms? The Austrian Premier had repudiated the'principle that the nations must control their own destinies, but unless this principle were given effect to not only would there be no peace, but if they had peace -here would be nd guarantee of its continuance. A peace framed on an equitable, basis would not "be broken by the nations. An abiding peace would be guaranteed by the destruction of Prussian military power. The best guarantee in the _ world would be the democratrsation ,of tiie' German Government. No .one wished to dictate' the form of their Government, but we would enter > negotiations with a democratised Germany in an entirely different spirit, attitude, and temper a Germany dominated by the aggressive and arrogant spirit of Prussian militarism. The Allied Gb/ernments would be acting wisely if they drew that. distinction in their general attitude in any discussion of .he terms'of peace. Mt Lloyd 'George concluded: /'Europe is drenched with the blood of, its'bravest and its best, but do not forget the great succession of hallowed causes. They are the 'Stations <of the' Cross on the road to the emancipation of mankind. I appeal to the. people of this country and'beyond to continue to fight for the great goal of international rights and -rtternat'onal justice, so that never again shall brute force sit on the throne of .justice, nor" barbaric strength wield the sceptre of liberty."