The New Zealand Times. MONDAY, JULY 31, 1911. THE INTERNATIONAL CLOUD

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7866, 31 July 1911, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. MONDAY, JULY 31, 1911. THE INTERNATIONAL CLOUD

Tho simoon has com© out of tihe desert and all men oro wondering where it will stop. Tho national honour of every nation now negotiating is concerned in the open door policy and other points of tho Act of Algeciras and in maintaining their territorial integrity an expression including spheres of commercial influence which may ono day take tho shape of territorial expansion. Honour is the plea specially put forward by Mr Asquith and hy Mr Lloyd George for tho position they hare assumed. Thor© is, of course, a remarkable contrast between the ton© adopted by Downing street to-day and tho tone of two years ago, when Britain and .Russia, after writing a fierce and certainly uncompromising mandate' to Austria not to do the thing she had in mind, were met by the intimation that German troops were ready to cross tho Russian frontier. Tho two Chancelleries folded their arms and bowed. To-day, how different! Britain waits till her ally—another member of tho Triple Entente —lias got into diplomatic grips with Germany, and then firmly takes, up the position of a participant. There is no flinching on this occasion. A brief announcement is made and then tho Prime Minister simply asks Parliament to support him without going into the details of the dispute. Ho is accorded tho countenance of the leader of tho Opposition, and thus strengthened, stands wafting for tho other side to move. What h© would bo prepared to do in case tho move were hostil© has been very clearly indicated by the orders to the fleet and the activity of tho national,ansenal and tho small arm factories. Tho resolute attitude of tho, Government and the patriotic behaviour of the Opposition both deserve tho admiration of the Empire. So, without derogating from tho credit dn© in that direction, we may point out that the difference between the attitude of today and that of 1909 is an indication that there is the necessary strength behind it. In Franc© the army has always been ready of late years. The fleet, .however, has been allowed to get far behind through the adoption of bad types and general mismanagement .of the navy department. But this has been taken in hand by the capable M. Delcasso, and' a reform programme, including large building orders, is going rapidly ahead. Perhaps there may bo in the, German mind on ■ idea that it would bo better not to wait far the development of force this is sure" to give to the Triple Entente. Britain at tho same time is well equipped at sea, and superior to Germany even with the aid of Italy and Austria,- whoso naval programme has os yet produced the launch of hut one Dreadnought, and this cannot possibly be ready for sea for some .months. The army, moreover, is in snob a state of efficiency under - the now organisation that—we have previously quoted one opinion of “Tho Times” military correspondent to this effect —it can dispatch 200,000 men into any foreign field at the present moment and maintain them through the waste of war. Britain will roost certainly not. want to fight— Heaven forbid all fighting!—but 'if there must be a struggle there could not bo a better time than now. In two years or a little more the niavios of the Triple Alliance will bo stronger and the cironmstances of the Triple Entente may not bo so favourable. Certainly the present crisis is ■ not going to assist the movement for curtailment of shipbuilding. Indeed, wh expect it to have quit© tho opposite effect by convincing Germany that without a stall more powerful navy her diplomacy and ambitions must be subject to serious restriction.