UNITY OF THE EMPIRE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14712, 18 September 1918, Page 3

UNITY OF THE EMPIRE.

MR BALFOUR'S COMMENTS ON AUSTRO-GER MAN PROPOSALS.

"WILL NOT TAKE US A YARD

NEARER PEACE."

(Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.?

LONDON, Sept. 16. Sir diaries Lucas presided at ike Colonial Institute's luncheon to the overseas journalists.

Mr Balfour, supporting the toast of the guests, said the Empire wa« one m spirit before the war, but had reached a new degree of unity, since '.'ommoii sacrifices, made on a scale wholly unimaginable before the war. have cemented us m closer unity than ever. Nothing that can occur caii ever dissolve it.

Kef erring to the Austrian peace proposal, he said lie had no opportunity of consulting his colleagues. Therefore what he said must be taken as his individual utterance. The calamities imposed) on mankind by a continuance of hostilities Wore so overwhelming tihat he could never treat with disrespect any proposal from a. responsible quarter: Yet he could not honestly say the proposals now made offer the slightest hope of the attainment of peace. Austria suggests conversations without the cessation of hostilities, but under the con. ditions now prevailing he was utterly unable to see how conversations could be profitably initiated. Personally, he qouljd see nothing acceptable m the present proposals. During the past four years the Germans had not made anything deserving of being called a peace proposition. Bef oi*e we reached the responsible conversation stage there were bigiger .questions to be determined,, and on these there, seemed a likelihood of agreement.

"At the present,' 1 lie sa : d, "what use is it then, entering 1 into conversations when Germany is going to. 'demand the return, of her colonies? There is a point whereon thei'e must be no misuriderr stand'' ng. Germany stands at one point; we stand at the other. It is impossible to conceive any conversations th&t should bridge a difference so deep as to restore to Germany those populations she had misused or return naval basest which would give her control of the communications between pairts of the Britislh Empire as well as between otloi o'vilised nations of the world. The Germans last week .said they had n^t given up any. part of German territory. How, then, are the conversations going to deal with Alsace-Lorraine? Also, Germany is about to determine- the terms of servitude she is to impose on her Eastern neighbors. That, is an exploit no .irresponsible conversations will, explain -away. '.Until the Emperor and the Chancellor of the Reichstag are prepared to show an open mind m conformity with wliat the Allies believe to be the oause of justice, civilisat;on, and- right, I venture to say more conversations would ,be fruitless, llhe public of the Entente countries were passionately desirous of peace, but they were not so stupid as '.some of their critics 'm the Central ! Powers supposed. We;' therefore, were . forced ;to -the conclusion that the enemy knew there was no chance of the proposals being accepted, but hoped they might do fometh'llls to divide the Allies and weaken their • co-ordinated effort to victory, wh-iiih wa3 show-ing itself on -every front. It certainly was riot an honest desire to attempt to reach an understanding upon terms which it wa^pussihle for us to accept. The enemy efforts would not produce divisions amongst toe Allies. Never m the world's history was there a coalition animated by so strong a desire fca* common srnod as the .present coalition of the Allies. We would not be the victims of clumsy German diplomacy. . Even though the Kaiser were to di'ess lvmself .m President Wilson's colors, the mailed fist would always appear. His policy would never take m the simplest of our countrymen. The Austrian proposals- would not take us a yaa'd nearer peace. ■ *

Mr '; George Fenwick . (of Dnnedin, X.Z.) thanked Mr IJa.lfaur for his inspiring speech, and said he hoped Germany would, he compelled to pay an indemnity to the fullest measure!