Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28, 1917. RESTITUTION, REPARATION, GUARANTEES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14234, 28 February 1917, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. GISBORNE, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28, 1917. RESTITUTION, REPARATION, GUARANTEES.

i With these Vthrfee-' Words, Mir I*Joyd George in^a. notablp speech a fpw weeks ' agbr.-set but the basis— the only basis'— pf, the Allies' pea^e terms. ; -"Complete restitution, full reparation, and effectual guarantees." Let the people of the Em.ph*"e" remember "these ; w.or;ds and appreciate their full significance'so that there may, be no slackening of effort m prbsecuting .the w^r u/iitil the objects propounded have been accomplished. As ,the Prime. Minister says, we must keep a steadfast eye upon the purpose foi ■Iwhicli we entered the war;' otherwise th« '■■ 'great sacrifices we, have- been making iwill be m vain. I^paratipn--Tt^t sis reparation? and why? Tliese are ques--3 tionsithat will naturally, . occur, an 4 the answer was given forcibly by Mr Bona. Law m his speech m the House) of Cdmmpm?,'on December 22. V,".\y.hat > are we •fighting for?" he asked. ' "-*Tot territory : nor greater strength as a nation. We are fighting: ,f pr- two ,things-*-f or' peace now and for . security foiv peace m, time t'a';comeS.; Let the House '-remember' what . ;has. hktopened^-outrages ih Belgium, out.rages; by sea and land, massacres m ; ; Armenia, which G«rmanv cbuld have : stppped:,* by a word— then Realise this: nie'wnr avill have -beeii fought m vain, utterry-in yain^ unlesß^weJcau "make.'sure tl)at,it shall -never "again- be ih tlie -power of any'S'tata to do what Germany has <lone. Is peace to , come m, this -war oh the -basis that the greatest crime m the world's history ig to go ' absolutely unpunished? It ia my firm belief that unle*s9.;all nations m the world cari&e hiade to,Tealise that these mbral -forces "must be vindicated there never can be. -an ' en L during peace." Thp -Sp^^ator, in* stating how it would, eicplajn for -the judgment of the world that wV stand for .adequate reparation of. wrongs, remarks * *'Aff we were the Government we* would meet ' thevGernuin. peace, proposal. "with one woFd-^paratioh. We" would tell the Kaiser andhis^hancellor.thatf if they would accept the principle of reparation fpr . (Belgium, ruined and desolated; for th"c (devastated cities and fields of France, for Serbia, ravaged and, overrun, for the massacre of the Ai-mema-p nation and 1 f or th"& 'nameliesis horrbrs that haye ; dodged the' footsteps 'of ' the GeririM army m the East and West; of wpajjation for every woman outraged, ,£oi* r :'every ahild> -bayonetted, every hostage murdered, every home given to the flashes, on the bbassi s of reparation we .typjild tell them our terms, but on no ;pther basis. If they will not promise Mill - reparation for deeds whose infamy S&h not, be matched m- the. records of mankind,, -then we would, answer that we .hSd notliing/fiirthbrtd s ay ,tb them." „I t *"s urged also m, the London Observer that the 'spirit m which Germany plotted, precipitated, and ; waged ( ; this -war cannot be allowed, to. escape with, impunity if we desire to root, up the^ moral evil, which has desolated Europe. From Frederick . onwards, *bhe German mind: has been possessed by the theory pf. war-made-to-pay. The whole country has been saturated' by a conception of succcissful war bringing with it immense; material? *ad%ntages : and, ministering to, .the lust of "race-pride. . '<' Woe*, -.to -the" .vanquished; r has been the' 1 very.' motto! of this armed eigotism. I The Germans,. proQoeding by the official war-books, perpetrate^ every barbarity and cruelty oh their, neighbors' soil and at sea. because) of their .presumptuous conviction that, the the like will! never beV wreaked bri' themselves, that-, punishment will never /reach them. By far the beak* thing that' ,cbuld' happen for, thb; world Avoiild .be that Germany should be forced tb contempilate as never ytt the seamy side of her own theories, and that her people should- knbw at last the .full bitterness*. > burden, and disilltStonmeint of unsuccessful Avar. That and that alone • will > make 'a, sure end of .war worship, of GjOyei-nmcnt by the . war-caste; o±\ nqtibral organisation with an obsessing purppse toAvards, Avar. Reparation for Ml the'crimci arid rayage which ( Gei-mahy' and h6r >c'complipes 'ftiave'ebmrriitted iii the rtrescut conlKdfc istihe, indispensable foundation of the Allies' demands. Baron Sh<weldi ; h^is expounded the mattei* f in-tHbr'.. and' shown that . reparation aiid 1 restitution 'm the present - instance are really synonymous terms. Reparation,' he 'states, should include tbe complete r evacuation of : Belgium, Avith ample fin--ancial compensation to that country for btutrages committed; the restoration of destroyed buildings 'and industrial equipment-*; repayment m full with interest, of • the"l|?vies.' and 1 i'&xr ma'terials' taken froni' it.;:|<fcmpen'l'atioit to those forcipjy torn from* tjitiir homes and. "sent' to .servile laboi' under German task masters, often ; m 'cbnnectioiV Avith military work] and' - &6trf)-^iisation for those p'iit to death by j the ipvaders. The a.*ime 'should -apply' to-. :i -Serbia, France and Poland.- • For via,'- ] 2omp"ensation for the 'open tdwiis^ant-bh^ 1 ly bombarded by "German rhips '; com- \ pensation fpr all injuries tp 'life and; \ *)rope|rty ip air raids upon .civilians t in^j ipen j tpivijis ' and village's';, c^mpensatioii \ tor merchant ships sunk -. by . criusers-:. |i •flibmarines' andv,mirip)s) cbmpehsatioh, f or :;i Ifres jsaci^ificed; m all such ; oases ; 'punis}i- j neifi't-, if 'Inecessary c'apftai puni^meni-,v ] if,' those m authority who have ordered' $ lavage abtsi of repreieslon and" 'cruelty, 'c

I When the Germans understand that this! indicates the kind of reparation we expect for the past, continued Baron She-f _ field, we will indicate the securities we demand for the future. As treaty obligations arei treated hy Germany as scrapn of. paper, wj: should demand,'- antecedent :*»;a-iegotiati^s,i iihe-^vifehdrawal ; qU^;^ ■ many'a forces and those- of hej> Allies fTOm all territory r outside) the limits'tof their former dominions; ;i When the Germanst assent i to arid comply with. I.*1 '.* these' cbnditions,; We can begirt to discuss any further agi'eement leading to peace, but not till then. The problem of security for the future is a vast and complicated one. It involves the future unity of thet Serbian and Rumanian races, the re_ organisation of ■ Poland, . free from German trammels, and m fact the curtailment of Teutonic ascendancy throughout Central "and ''Eastern Eui'ope. Germany must cease 'to dominate m Austro-Hbn-gary. the "Balkans and Turkey. Otto?r'wi^e there! call be, no real security for the peace : of- the world. The pan-Gei> 1 manic conception • of- : a Middle Empire stretching from the North ..Sea to M£iso : , potamia miist be - totally . ovferthro-wn 4 if i there is to he security for any one' of the' Allies.- This is a, war "for JLh6' whole M r orld's future. Paw-German militarism is a snake • to v be killed, -not ; scotched.; Not one of the Allies .--'pan veyer- *iave air equal ppporttnnity.;ngaiii .nor. .form part* 'of so pb,\yeiyful a combination of; forcesa To., gain peace-only through victory -ast; of:. 'life; and death inrportance to them all.. The war will go oriuntil ''such; a pe-apo is^ I secured. ... V r . : VV '■'■'.'.:' I ' *— — p— i— :\: -■■■