NATIONAL RIVALRY

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7929, 12 October 1911, Page 1

NATIONAL RIVALRY

THE KAISER’S VIEWS NOTES OF AN ADDRESS AT HAMBURG. THOM OUR own correspondent. BERLIN, August 26. His Majesty the Gorman Emperor had not been beard from very ranch of iato, but he is now making up for lost time. At Altoua on Friday ho paid an affectionate and graceful tribute to the virtues of the Empress, a model for German wives and mothers. At Hamburg on Sunday he delivered an address on the text; “Competition is the soul of international trade." Undonbtediy the stimulus of competition is as necessary for tho full development of national energy and enterprise as for tho full development of individual energy. It is, as his Majesty remarked with one of bis picturesque flourishes, just when the leading jockey in a race finds himself hard pressed by the other horses that ho uses whip and spurs on his mount and gets greater speed out of it. Tho difficulty is that nations do not always imitate the jockey. Instead of being stimulated to greater effort by the stress of rivalry they try to get rid of competition by killing the competitor. They do not use the whip on themselves, but prefer to use the sword on the Commenting on the development of Gorman commerce, the Kaiser concluded “The competition of nations may give rise to' pacific combats. The German people in tho last thirty years have assured the protection of, their commerce and maritime navigation by their war fleet, which is being developed powerfully and is remarkable for its discipline. It represents the value which tho Gorman people attach to the sea If X understand angnt the enthusiasm of the inhabitants of Hamburg, I think X may suppose that their ito is to strengthen our navy still turther in tho future in such manner that we can be sure that no one will come to control the jdace which is due to us in the sunshine." , ~ • The Kaiser’s speech has made tho best possible impression everywhere, as indicating a peaceful solution _ of the Moroccan trouble. Xt is not interpreted in any way as presaging any extraordinary future naval armaments beyond those contained in the existing Navy Act. PUBLIC IRRITATION GROWING. Public, opinion’ in Germany . continues to regard the Moroccan difficulty m a more favourable light. More comments are published on tho strange anti-Gex-man utterances of Sir. l; airfax wright, English Ambassador at Vienna, than regarding, the Moroccan aftaii itself, and public irritation is growing. Tho interview with an English, diplomatist in an important position, which has given such offence in Germany, was published by the "Neno Ereio PiesEo, of Vienna, on Enday last. Tho principal passage is the following one: 1 say it openly, people entertain the opinion, that Germany is defying ns. This everlasting challenge is beginning to inspire anxiety. Behind the sending of the Panther to Agadir and behind the ■whole of Germany's foreign policy, in so far as it makes use of such provocation, stands, for those who know Germany, not the German people, but only a certain clique, which goes forward with similar ruthicssness in various European centres, AVe can only say to-day of Germany what was true of Prance in IS7O. At that time the Tuilenes. made the policy of the country, and the members of 'Parliament were the creatures of tho Tuileri.es. Tho Tuiieries made a senseless war on Germany. In Germany to-day tho policy, is made from- above, not by the people. Tho Imperial German Government does not represent, as the English Government does, the public opinion of the country. The ‘/entourage ' of the Kaiser evidently inspired him to carry out the act in Agadir.-" Sir Fairfax Cartwright, who, as the German press alleges, is the “‘English diplomatist" in question, sent a telegram to a news agency, in which he says: " I decline all responsibility for anonymous articles attributed to me by badly-informed' people." This denial of /vuthorshp has given no satisfaction in Germany, and is ridiculed by the press, which expresses surprise that as yet no disavowal of the Ambassador's private policy has been received from the British Foreign Office. Reuter's Telegraph Agency brought the news that “no British diplomatist was responsible for tho interview in question." “Of course," remarks the Pan-German f * Leipzige Nencst© Nachrichten," ft nobody would take Sir Fairfax to be that silly to write the article with his own hand on'his private letter-paper and send it to the ‘ Neue Freie Pres so/ but would he not ho responsible all the same if he communicates the contents of the article to an ' intenuediare * to convey to the journal?-' And the f ‘ Vossische Zeitung" asserts already that this “ intermedlare " is none other than the well-known Siogmund Mhsuz, who, while at luncheon with Sir Fairfax in Morienbad, received from tho diplomatist fijie information as quoted above. It has not yet been ascertained what truth there is in the whole affair; one thing is certain, however, namely, that tho role played by the London Cabinet is at present giving more offence than tho attitude' of Franco. KIEL NAVAL REVIEW TO WARN, ENGLAND, Tho German naval manoeuvres, which begin to-morrow, will commence with the great naval review at Kiel before the Kaiser. Except for tho naval reviews held in England, this will b© the greatest ever held in any country. The whole of the German navy now in —mropran waters will take part: 26 battleships, 5 armoured cruisers, 8 smaller cruisers, 73 torpedo boats, a submarine division and a flotilla of mine-laying, etc., vessels. The papers say that Germany feels that on account of England's unfriendly attitude tho time has come to show that she can also bo a powerful adversary at sea. NO MOKE VISITS OP GERMAN FLEET TO NORAVAY. Admiral von Holtzendorff, commander of the German High Sea Fleet, has just made some remarks which are much commented upon by the European press. It is well known that vessels of the German navy are regularly visiting Norwegian waters. Lately, when the Kaiser was on Ids annual trip to Norway, the German fleet passed in review 4 before him in the Sognefjord and this had caused a part of the Norwegian press to publish articles unfriendly to Germany, giving the review the Importance of manoeuvres whereby

the laws of international custom had been violated and eyeing with suspicion tire visit of a German torpedo boate-floliUato the fortified port of Drammen. Just be101X3 the departure of tiia neet last iveeic the'admiral in command, yon iloltzendorfi gave a dinner on, board the flagship Deutschland to the x\ r orwegian military and naval authorities of alolde, where the fleet was lying at anchor. In a speech he said that the German war \ easels entered the fjords only to give the men a well-earned rest after the {aligning manoeuvres at eca» tie. regretted that the unfriendly articles which had appeared in the Norwegian press would probably result in. the cessation of the visits of German men-of-war to Norway in future, especially as these articles had appeared at a time when the Kaiser, was a guest of the 'country. As another aeouel Pan-German papers have already started a campaign advising German tourists who .annually visit Norway in large numbers to avoid a-country whose press shows such little hospitality towards a friendly great Power. IvAISEE AGAINST DEINK.

The Kaiser, who in his youth was a 'pupil of Cassel College, likes to remain in touch with the institute whore he received his first tuition. This was maniiested last week at a little ceremony in the Wilhelmshohe Castle, neat Cassel, when the Kaiser presented the college with a now flag. After addressing himself to the scholars in general, expressing his joy to be once more at the place where he passed the greater part of, his boyhood, he turned to the older scholars wlio are about to leave college to continue their education in a university. He said that they were young men now and should remember that they were learning for life and not for the school. They should always think of their duty to become good citizens and to work for the greatness and honour of the Fatherland. As students they should interest themselves in sport but should avoid over-indulgence in strong drink. He pointed to the example English and American students were giving them in this respect and admonished his listeners to do likewise. This is not the first time the Kaiser is making front against the abuse in alcohol consumption, only a few months ago he addressed similar words to German blnej ackets in Kiel.