The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1911. THE MOROCCAN DIFFICULTY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7864, 28 July 1911, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. FRIDAY, JULY 28, 1911. THE MOROCCAN DIFFICULTY

It is almost inconceivable that tlio Moroccan difficulty should result in an outbreak of war between Great Britain and Germany, but oven making allowances for a certain constitutional timidity which affects Lloyd’s when international questions aro in dispute, it would bo unwise to infer that the feelings of alarm which have prompted the enforcement of war risk insurances are entirely without foundation. The guarded, but none the less clear, declaration by Mr Lloyd George, that Groat Britain could not allow herself to ho treated as of no account in the settlement of great European questions, has probably been interpreted in financial circles as having been occasioned by some aggressively worded communication from Berlin to tho Quai D’Orsay. Onco before, when M. Dqlcaseo was Minister for Foreign Affairs, tho tone of Germany’s Notes to Paris was such as to send M. Rouvior into a cold sweat of fear and to canso tho sudden retirement of the Minister. But tho position is to-day very different to what it was in 1905. Tho entente cordialo is no more affair of sentiment, but a very:, real and potent force for mutual protection and benefit. M. Dolcasso is neither to be bounced into submission to tho Kaiser’s demands, nor hustled out of office by timorous colleagues. Ho and Sir Edward Grey aro old friends and co-workors in the field of in Ti motional relations, and whilst thoro oxo probably no two men in Europe more deeply anxious that tho peace of tho world shall be undisturbed, they are not likely to bow before the Lord of Potsdam. Apparently, tho Gorman contention is that tho French have exceeded tho duties oast upon them by' tho Algeciras Agreement, and have too liberally and widely interpreted tho policing of a State proverbially and, it would seem, perennially subject to turbulence. It is difficult, however, to see how Franco could have acted otherwise than she has done in sending an expedition to Fez. Tho present Sultan may be, and probably is, an unsavoury ruffian, but so long as Morocco is to bo governed by a native ruler, and some nominal degree of law and order is to bo maintained, tho French were practically forced into tho situation which, according to tho semiofficial “Cologne Gazette,” has afforded Germany an excuse for seizing territory many hundreds of miles away from tho capital. If Germany could make good her charge—so far it is more an insinuation than an open accusation—that France is steadily strengthening her influence in Morocco and threatens to close tho “open door’’ secured to European trado by tho Algocira’s Agreement, it is more than doubtful whether Great Britain would espouse the French cause. But, upon -such information as wo have had regarding Franco’s recent action in Morocco, thoro is no justification for tho charge put forward by tho Gorman semiofficial press. And, in any case, if territorial aggrandisement is to bo Germany’s price for alowing French breaches of the Algeciras Agreement, then Great Britain, with her widespread commercial interests in Morocco, and tho necessity, which exists for her, as a power having millions of Mohammedan subjects, to preserve her mana with the Mohammedan world, could hardly bo expected to stand idly by and allow tho Kaiser to effect a permanent foothold on Moroccan soil, whether at Aguadir or elsewhere. Exactly how far the relations between Germany on the one hand, and France and Groat Britain on tho other, have boon strained during tho past few days is, at present, and may remain, . a State secret, but oven tlioso who, like ourselves, most earnestly deprecate Ecaromongering, cannot but see in tho recent conferences at the British Foreign Office, evidence of tho position having suddenly assumed considerable gravity. Nevertheless wo have tho utmost confidence that tho peaceful relations existing between the three Powers will not he seriously impaired. Certainly it will not be tho fault of Mr Asquith and Sir Edward Grey if peace bo not maintained. Of course these two statesmen arc to bo thoroughly relied upon to safeguard British interests and to refuse to allow France to suffer an injustice at German hands. When Russia objected to the Austrian annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the 'rapid massing of a huge German force o‘n -his western frontier cowed the Muscovite into almost immediate submission. But with regard to Morocco, and' Franco’s connection therewith, tho same kind of menace cannot well bo played, for with all the feverish actively which Germany has displayed in building up a powerful navy, she is still far from being strong enough on sea to dictate quiescence to Great Britain whore tiro interests of France are endangered by German aggression. The Moroccan storm-cloud may be dark and ugly-looking, but it is quite premature tp assume that it will burst. On the contrary, just as other storm'clonds have appeared and disappeared, it will, wo believe, give place to a more serene outlook before many days are over.