The New Zealand Times. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1924. “THE WAR IS OVER”

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 12009, 11 December 1924, Page 4

The New Zealand Times. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1924. “THE WAR IS OVER”

We are going to try to write another chapter’ in the wok; of peace. A . commercial treaty _ concluded, under the present conditions is far more .than a contract relating -purely to interests. It ta a work of. rapprochement and civilisation. Tijq important declaration, made ,by M,= Hejriot, the. French Premier, in the course of the 'negotiations for the Franco-German commercial treaty, sine® happily concluded, applies with equal force to the Anglo-German commercial treaty, which has followed in its train. With reference to the Franco-German treaty, M. Herriot pointed out that before the war the goods exchanged between France and Germany practically balanced each other. This, he claimed, proved that each country rendered an important service to the other; and it must, he urged, he their, aim to reestablish this exchange so as to make life easier, for hoth sides. Before the war, also, the goods exchanged between Britain and Germany practically balanced each other—either directly or indirectly—through third party (exchanges. M, Herriot’s claim would thus be true of Britain and Germany, too; and his advice—that their aim must be to re-establish- this exchange so as to make life easier for hoth sides—would hold good for Britain and Germany as well as for France and Germany. This view, that the war is over, is editorially confirmed by the “Old Thunderer,” the London “Times,” which, commenting in a leading article on the ’Anglo-German trade treaty, rightly describes it - as “a landmark.” this treaty, declares the “Times,” is not only important in itself because of the new principles it establishes for regulating commercial intercourse between the two countries, but it is still-more important as a signpost indicating departure from tlie. state of war by which Anglo-German relations have been dominated for the last ten eventful years. Nothing (adds the "Times") could have expressed more cleaTly than this commercial treaty the fact that,; as far as the two chief belligerents are concerned, the war is over, and that the rule of intercourse is to be, not Btill vivid memories of war, but such opportunities for peaceful arrangement in the common interest as _tlie Peace Treaty -allows. While the treaty applied only to the United Kingdom, the' right to adhere to it is accorded the dominions,- India, the colonies, and protectorates, and the British mandated territories whose goods shall enjoy most-favoured-nation treatment. Britain, it Is pointed out by the negotiators of the treaty, has undertaken to recommend the acceptance of the treaty by India and the dominions; and, failing their ratification of the treaty, has given Germany liberty to negotiate directly with the dominions. ’ | On the whole, too, cozffused os the position is, with upwards of twelve, groups in the new Reichstag, not one of which commands an absolute majority of the Chamber, the result of the Ofertnan elections gives further confirmation of the view that the war is at an end. The Social Democrats now constitute the strongest party in the Reichstag, with the Nationalists not far behind thorn ; the Centre Party a bad third; the People’s Party./fourth; the Conamu-

mats, close up, firth; and the rest nowhere. While General von Ludendorff himself has been re-elected, his party, with the loss of 13 seats, has practically disappeared. The Communist Party has also lost 18 seats, but still retains from 40 to 50 representatives. Summing up the position, the Berlin correspondent of “The Times” states that, with regard to the issue “for 'or against the Republic,” “the figures show that there is a majority in the country for the Republic; but, at the same time, that heavy forces are arrayed against it.” As to the other great issue, the policy of the/late Government, particularly its foreign policy of the fulfilment of Germany’s obligations under the Dawes Report and the . London Pact, he states: “Here, it must be said, there is a more decisive majority in its favour. On the whole, therefore, the election must be taken as a message of peace, with a strong dissentient minority.” One Berlin message says that there are now three alternatives for the formation of a new Government that will carry out the Dawes plan—(l) A big coalition of the Social Democrats, the People’s Party, the Catholic Centre Party, and the Democrats; (2) a “Wirth Coalition,” such as held office under the Chancellorship of Dr Wirth; and (3) the continuance in office of the present Government under Dr Marx and Dr Strese T mann, with the benevolent/neutrality of the .Social Democrats. The Berlin correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” is, however, very despondent about, the whole position. The following, he holds, leaves the Reichstag situation almost as ambiguous as before the dissolution; and he declares that all hope of reviving the old Wirth Coalition- of the Centre, the Democrats, and the Socialists has disappeared. “Probably,” he says, in conclusion, “the Communists alone are really pleased. Their chief desire is to see confusion and uncertainty; and this is likely to he even more marked in the new Reichstag than in the old, for the sobering influence of the Dawes Report is no longer an issue. There will be endless Cabinet crises, beginning with one of exceptional severity over the formation of the Government.” We cannot but think that this is far too pessimistic a view of the matter. While the Dawes Report ie no longer an election issue, it has not by any means cehsedto be a political issue;, and, what is more, an economio issue of the greatest importance. Its sobering effect will, therefore, stijl continue. Other sobering factors, moreover, will be the Franco-German and the AngloGerman trade treaties referred to above, and'the forty million international loan to Germany; to say nothing of the keen desire of the German people to do nothing to jeopardise the speedy fulfilment of the undertakings given by France and Belgium with regard to the evacuation of the occupied territory. Just as before the Pact of London, no combination of parties that could possibly hope to form a Government was prepared to' throw overboard all hope of putting into, operation, .the Dawes scheme, so,,we ’ venture to say, no combination to form a Government will ..be found possible to-day thpt will stand for the overthrow of the Dawes plan now that it is well under way. The most hopeful, as wetf as the most significant feature of the elections, ie the. , complete collapse of the Ludendorffists, coupled as it is with’ the heavy loss of seats • sustained by the. Communists. The German people have declared in no uncertain fashion against the extremist parties, whether reactionaries or Bolshevists ; and while the new Reichstag is very much in the nature of a meltingpot, there is,/taking the situation by and large, good reason to hope that a fairly stable Government fast-wedded to the carrying out of the Dawes Report will eventually result.