BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10667, 17 January 1911, Page 1

BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

CAUSES OF ANTAGONISM

■■ In the growth of a ; better under- :: standing between the British and Ger- ' man empires lies the only hope of a ces- : sation of the costly competition in naval armaments. So convinced of this is Sir : Harry Johnston that he advocates frank discussion iu the Press of the questions alienating Britain and her allies from - the two great German Powers of, Uen r t'ral Europe. l"Such an irresponsible ' '.discussion would, perhaps," he. urges, ""pave the way for the worlc.-ot;di r plomacy, exactly as case, in i-e- ; gard to the growth :of the " with France, and, later on, withvjßussia " Acting on this belief, bemused: a Recent visit to the principal towns of Germany to inquire of German officials, politicians, men of science, and leading business men, why their country is burdening its finances with an inordinate expense of military and naval development, and so imposing proportionately heavv sacrifices on the British, French, Russian,. Austrian, and Italian peoples. It was average .informed German opinion which lie sought to gauge, and- he gives the results of his investigations in the Nineteenth Century and After. He found • that Gternians, charge Great Britain with-having during the past ten .years made all possible use of diplomacy and. finance to' deny Germany and Austria, combined, any great imperial expansion or colonial development. A long list. 01 grievances is cited to show that Great, ' Britain, now supported by the United States, now by . France, and now by Russia, has blocked German, efforts to obtain coaling stations or colonies in the West Indies, in South Ahienca, m the Pacific ,and in Asia. In Northern Africa, in Persia, and in Turkey Germany is, these Germans all aver, constantly being thwarted and ousted by Britain and her allies. If an understanding is to" be arrived at, it must, •they declare, recognise Austro-German dominance in the Balkans, and m Asia Minor. It must also recognise that henceforth the kingdom of the Netherlands is to come, by means, of a very strict alliance, within the German sphere. Sir "Harry": Johnston was told that ah Alliance: for offensive, and. defensive purposes does,- in-fact, already 'esi'st between. Holland and.. iGerraany, and that'the 'foreign: policy V.of; the tw.o nations will hencefoith-be. as closely allied as that'of' Germany''and Austria.: As far as Belgium is concerned, Sir -Harry's German informants, admitted that any invasion on the part of their country would be ..for. .Britain,: as for France, a legitimate f caucus, belli" but they went oh; "If you drive us to; iahdj block us in all other diiections/ ; iwe\imijyjj put the whole question-to the'itest" : iVi3ie:n| the right opportunity comes; ing Belgium (and Holland}; ing down the gage of -and, as the outcome of vibtor^*incQr r ,; porate within the GermanKsphcj&lfhot a J only Holland and Picardy- That would be our way;Vqf:: fcdmihencing. our duel with Great Britain. .We should not be so idiotic as: to venture a corps d'armee on transports across the North Sea- before we had" smashed the British navy; and the smashing of the British navy within the next seems to uVswuran. impossibility as not to enter within the- limits of any reasonable .military., programme. But we should make use ! ipfj our navy to defend the approaches lister."-Holland,: Belgium, and Denmark, •and we ask you what sort of efforts you vwould : have to make fin the: iof : ;army organisation -to be able, even lii with France sand Russia, to.. jturh lis . out of the Low. Countries if ydu- compelled -us to V.occupy ! thQm.'; iThese Germans were: f "the ilo'rrors of such a war,, but /they seemed: ito? think that it would be. "better Jfor -the German peoples thaii\the diplomatic, Ichecks. which their attempts;\ at.expah•sioh" now receive. - : "i-i : -H :: ":' :^";:'..'.: ;{- '■■■: