NOT YET

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LII, Issue 52, 1 March 1918, Page 5

NOT YET

TIME NOT RIPE FOB DIPLOMATIC CONVERSATIONS GERMANY'S INSINCERITY,

(Australian avi N.Z. Cable Association

LONDON, Feb. 27.

In the House of Commons, Mr A. J. Balfour (Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs), replying to criticism that the Government were not using diplomacy in the interest of peace, said that diplomacy was out of court unless some measure'of potential agreement isted, making diplomatic conversations furitful of good results. All indications showed that we had not reached that happy stage. There was no clear direction in which the. sunlight of peace could make itself felt. The time might come soon ; but we would be deceiving ourselves if we took a sanguine view in the face of Count von Hertling's speech. There was only one course, "I have sinned," and next say, "I ( will make reparation and restore without conditions what I have taken." German's idea of economic ■ freedom and frontier security always meant commercial trammels upon weaker neigh* hours, and appropriation of territory. After dealing with other of Hertling's statements. Mr Balfour declared that England did not use the balance of power fbr self-iafegrandisemsnt. She fought because it was only doing Europe could be saved from a dominating, overpowering, and aggressive nation. England, in upholding the balance of power., saved Prussia from destruction. Later she helped her to recover- her independence against Napoleon. It ill became a German statesman to deride England's efforts for the balance of power. Until German militarism was abolished and an international court with executive powers was established for the protection of the weak it was impossible to ignore the principles underlying the blaance of power. If Hertl'ing could induce his countrymen to give up the policy of ambitious* world domination peace would come now and for ever.

Referring to Hertling's statement that Germany's policy in the East was directed to preventing atrocities and devastations and upholding humanity, Mr Balfour pointed to the fact tha.t German policy in the West was entirety occupied with atrocities and devascSi* .tions. We were ready to stand on trial at the bar ~bf humanity side by side with Germany. While Germany was determined to have the rest of the world creeping at her feet it was difficult to conduct the diplomatic conventions which must be the prelude to peace, for which no one longed more than ourselves. Conversations which began and ended in discord were worse than none at all. To begin negotiations without seeing the way to a successful termination would be the greatest crime against the future. Peace negotiations must be preceded by a closer approximation of ideas. He would be injuring the cause of peace if ho encouraged the hope that these verbal communications would be useful until a general agreement was apparent in the distance and the statesmen of all countries saw the wav to a settlement.