GERMAN IMPERIAL CHANCELLOR'S SPEECH.

North Otago Times, Volume CV, Issue 13939, 24 July 1917, Page 6

GERMAN IMPERIAL CHANCELLOR'S SPEECH.

0 MASTERLY REPLY BY MR LLOYD GEORGE, • •• i , triumph op democracy the only guarantee OF THE PEACE OF THE WORLD. (Australian »ufl New fconlona O&We Association.) - LONDON, July 2^, Till! Rt Hon David Lloyd George, spoaking'in the. House ofConVmoiis, after saying that oil tlx; whole tin; German Chancellor's speech meant that the military party had momentarily won, proceeded to reaffirm Unit the form of Germany's. Government wan tliu Germans' own affair, but what manner of Government the Allies could trust to make peace was their business. The democracy had not its guarantee of peace, and if it could not get it in Germany, then the Allies must secure some oilier guarantee as a substitute, The Chancellor's speech showed that Germany for the moment elected for war, Belgium was not even men-

tionod in the speech, the phraseology of which was full of menace. Belgium makes the German frontier secure and makes Jlufz and Strassburg safe. The Germans intend to take Liege and control Antwerp in order to secure German economic interests. The determination of the Allies, however, is that the Belgians must he restored as a free and independent people, not a protectorate. Proceeding the Prime Minister said: I have read Dr Michaelis's speecli as my duly; once, twice, and thrice, to seek anything from -which I could hope to end the bloody struggle. I see in it a sham independence for Belgium, a sham democracy for Germany, and a sham peace for Europe, and I say Europe has nor sacrificed millions of its gallant sons to re-establish the soil eonse- '.. crated by their blood as a mere sanctuary for shams.-. Dr Michnelis li! lries to dope his people with an illiistrious Germany, but he will find these visions', like others, will be dispelled. "I am sorry to disillusion Dr Michaelis at the outset of his career,"MrLloyd George proceeded, "but the truth compels me to show that gradually and surely we arc increasing our production and diminishing our losses at sea, Although our apprehensions were great during the summer months, we have gradually decreased the losses. For example, comparing the three weeks of July with the corresponding period of April we haye not lost half the number of ships. In the last two' mouths of 1917 we shall turn out as many ships as we did during the whole of last year. We shall turn out in 1918, six times more than in 191 G. ' The enemy is" : far from starving us. Owing to the exertions of • the Food Controller the food supply for 1917-18, on the basis of the present consumption, is secured, arid we are arranging a programme of cultivation to-make 1918 secure, even if .our losses increase. I don't want Germans to harbour delusions that they are going to put us out of the fight until liberty is re-established throughout the 1 world. A great German newspaper said the other day that: Germany was fighting for the freedom and independence of the •Fatherland.-- That-was never true. The freer Germany is, the better 'we will like it. Iter rulers, and not the .Allies,, arc'thl* enemies of the frecdofji of Germany. We could make peace with a free Germany, but we cannot-make peace-with a Germany dominated by an autocracy. Since the Russian revolution and the Riissjan offer to conced-.. independence to the nations- under the Russian flag,, the last shadow of the pretext that Germany is fighting for freedom is banished. It is now a struggle between the group of democracy and freemen and a group of nations governed i by military autocracy."