BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13728, 18 August 1908, Page 5

BRITAIN AND GERMANY.

A (IE THEY ENEMIES:" t SPEECH BY WINSTON CIirRCLIILL. NO FEAR l«H)R THE COLONIES. By Electric Telegraph. — Copyright. LONDON, August 17.

Mr Winston Churchill, President of the Board of Trade, speaking at Swansea, strongly deprecated the attempt made by some people in Britain to spread the belief that war between Britain and Germany was inevitable. It was all nonsense. Britain was an island, and no Government in powerwas likely to depart in any degree from a naval policy securing the country effectively from outside invasion. Secondly, there was no collision of primary interests between Britain and Germany in any quarter of the globe. Germany, he sain, was among our very best customers. Regarding the apprehension of some of tho- colonies as to their being seizable in time of stress, nothing, he said, would alter tho des- j tiny of great communities like Canada, Australia, South Africa, and India. Tho colonies were pursuing their own paths and their own destiny, which would be unalterable in future as the result of any struggle in Europe. He ridiculed ihe -idea of two great countries fighting for what remained — namely, tropical plantations and small and scattered coaling stations. Mr Churchill concluded by urging the granting of Home Rule to Ireland as a great act of statecraft.