Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENINGS. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, OCT. 25, 1917. THE BALANCE IN THE BALTIC.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14437, 25 October 1917, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENINGS. GISBORNE, THURSDAY, OCT. 25, 1917. THE BALANCE IN THE BALTIC.

-A very fine action is recorded; to-day to the cx*edit of the Norwegian explorer Amundsen/ who' has Returned' vEijs German decorations as a protest against the Huns' inhuman methods of warf|?e. We may take it froni/this that public-;opinion in.iNorwaljr has .been, more or less stirred by" the recent sea outrage, the particulars of which-' reveal r a degree of callousness, that out-Hnns the Huns. Not only were the unarmed! merchant vessels attacked by shell-fire, wrecking their upper works and iiiflicbiiig terrible ; casualties amongst the 'passengers? and' crews^ but the-'sur-' Yiyors attempting vto, escape -in the boats were deliberately -^fired' l upon, a Such arethe s finbwraan •> ijaethodsvy^y which. Germany ; njittkesi 1 it is -war upon neu'traj^ a's ; well ' <is' belligerents'^ for the ship.s attacked were under the Norwegian f19,g,-ns well as under the protection of a> British convoy. Day "by day : losses 0,f .; other Norwegian 'vessels are recorded 1 , and it is evident that Germany is -making a $trohg set agrtjjpfdfc! Norway, whose people have always' been and still are .friends .0f. .-Britain. ' At the same time,- 'under'' the compulsion; of the mailed fist and the., strong commencial iiifluencesi*wat''hav'e''been brought to. bear, Norway haa^urnished a great amount of food! and material to Germany, and very considerably helped her to maintain: her .armies and population , during the war. Norway's silent friendship for Britain is more than cbu'nter-balancedsby Sweden's opeiv fatfoi' for Germany. This is promoted largely >r .by reason of Swedish antipaihy'to RussiaV arid by the grip, which" Germany has upon Swedish national industries,. Thus, for example, Swedish : steel,;. more important- to war even than to' civilisation, is under German; control. - The Swedes who i quarry the 'ore end ship it vto Germany are really part of the German war machine. Germany' lias Succeed edi also m obtaining- «! -big;. hold over, the Swedish army, and Government, and the recent diploir^atic disclosures,' revealing,-, the use that was made of Swedish Ministers abroad show; the.' lengths to which intrigue was parried. ... Of all the neutral powerß,'remarks an American paper, Sweden -has, come nearest to an. alliaiice with;^Gerr: many. The fact that it' was s &, secret, allipnce and that it was operated ijratK> 6%t the consent of the people of S^den' did not make it less effective to -help the HnhV I)). 'brought to Berlin Jf^Vajbe

information from foreign countries. It assisted the_ German spy and system. It gave Germany food and munitions from hostile countries. It furnished information about ships which German submarines might sink. it seems to have provided German ships with shelter and supplies. If Germany hp.d, been satisfied to-: make a. -moderate use of the advantage, £hi^id; and comfprt might havo beteli enjoyed; much 4ji>nger, and the main/body of*th^.|Swedish people would have, known little nr nothing annul it. 'Biit il> has heon'carried so far tliafc the whole system has been exposed to the world, and what m most important and disastrous to Germany, the conspiracy of Swedish officials against Sweden herself has been exposed m Sweden. As the result of • the exposure there was some reform of admiiir istration effected at the recent general [elections m Sweden, and the new Go- j vernment will probably be, found to be ! more friendly . towards ,the Entente, though Sweden as ai, 'whole still stands' considerably under the influence of Germany and" is, rendering Her" 'most vital help. Afrcthe same- time the people of Sweden, avowedly fear and dislike: the German's",-, and .possess a. sentimental attachment for their; old allies, 'the! French. The Prussian .. attitude to Swedish independence, whether inqommerce or m politics, (rqmarks the Saturday Review)' has.'. always been marked by an" 'egstism ; and bnjstality which a self-|J6sj«;.tn|g: ; ijpeople^jliJte:! the . Swedes are riot likely to forget," ; "' : ' "''Moreover, the.. Swedes " have -suffered -for the. attitud^of their Government. been brought near to famine and they" know where the responsibility lies; -The success rot., the ; ;pop,ular, parity ■'led by M. Brantipg at the polls a. fortnight ago was a revolt m favor of. national independence,, and especially;, for ."an. attitude of more self-^especit and •albbfhess where Germalhy is concern ed/: For the Swedish people feeljnstinctiyely that if Germany wins tmVwar ''.their .freedom and- the freedom of the Baltic, are alike m the greatest danger. "; Th.3 SVedes, much as they have .desired ' 46 -»s§6 'Finlanij. free frqm the.Vßussian yoke, r< .realise treat its; Vc'cup'atioh by Germany^ now threatened; is mu.qh. les9..ite'b,^desired.. >As regards Denmark, it is a. "sad story, remarks the' Review. - :! . Tjie/. Swedes and Norjgfegianis m the. defend thenjs|&lve3*tf the .Dan'jEJg? are strong only m, memory. They w;e£e .. once _. V. hation ;^ jbutf their indepej^ence wai^v-.lpst , with 'their two provinQe^i The^,"ju:e helpless' f to 'defend! themselves. ..g^p^ihagen is . c^pwdedj with Prussian^ ,w ; Koi behave exactly as if they owned >|own andi the cou'rii try. Moreioyer,^ the Danis^ Foreign Office is more. r jthan reooncU^d '%o " th e position. Danish commerce, ■.■•{ , never particularly robust m its national sentiment, depends 1 greatly on Germali .capital,. and! ; has. no. root^ objection to what is known as wai'-pcon'teeving'i Denmark, m short ? m spite of the inarticulate and helpless." loathing of . its^people, has become practically an annexe "of Germany, and .why, being m that .^position, .it should have obtained suchMavors from .our Foreign Office, is one of the sev«ral points m the policy of that" Department whibh no ori& can, v Tihaerstand.l From the above review it will be seen that. the balance, of .the Baltics is^nbtl. quii;e "so even as might be wished, ilt has dertainly gi'own more unequal since the German .adventure into the ■ Gulf of Riga. The freedom >bf the Baltic is vital to Russia. If that doorway and the door of Constantinople . ;are alike closed to her, this great giant, so nearly liberated, must fall back into an. economic servitude to the 7 ''. great neighbor which lias always exploited her,? and must confess -her inability to, .create out of Slavdom a-" great and independent Power. TJie Saturday;- Review asserts tliat -the. balance ,of r\:he Baltic must remain. a British interest. All through British. "history wo have fought at intervals for 'the of the Sound. To that end we have usually^^, been- deep m Scandinavian policy, and have waged wars .and fought battles. , The, reason is obvious, a, nation with- ar great woollen manufacture, must always be interested! m the Northern marltets, a, nation. SHrich produces coal must always 'look toi cqldi climate for a market, and a nation which uses pit props must always think of ; : the, pine forests 'of the Jforth> It might be added that a Democracy is unhappy .without the . wood-pulp", which .supplies; the iftaterial for'iits. jdfiily press. For all these reasons we cannot cease to .t^vke. an, interest, ( m the Baltic, .-Will we, the Russian. 'Nayy- is. icrushediVand the capitaT subjugated, -send a. big iiiaval relief., expedition into tlu> Balti^? !■' Will w,e force the Sound and the Belts, though these be, neutral territorial waters? We have good excuse, for Germany has not respected Danish and Swedish , neu.tirali.fey and' those Powers have not exerted 1 force to compel; neutrality. Yesterday's cablegrams i sugw gested the possibility of Allied .naval forces seeking an entry into the Baltic. It may be part of the aggressive aiaval policy said to be favored by Airterica, and for which Britain ' has now ample forces at her command. YesterdftyV. report may be only a'■ trial balloon thrown out by Germany/ but nevertheless it opens up an interesting prospect and will pive the naval critics muoh food for speculation. - , '