The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1918. GERMANY AND PEACE.

Timaru Herald, Volume CVII, Issue 16620, 27 August 1918, Page 4

The Timaru Herald. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1918. GERMANY AND PEACE.

Dr Solf's appearance as tlie [ spokesman of a highly moral and i comparatively moderate Germany, with whom. the miglit be able to make what ho would call an "honourable" peace, has not met with, much encouragement from Lord Robert Cecil's reply to it, aud the views on peace that have been expressed by the Canadian Premier, Sir Robert Borden, the American Senator Lodge, and on behalf of authorities in France, almost simultaneously .with his utterance. The Allies Want to know much more of the virtuous and restrained, but not yet sufficiently restrained Germany for which he speaks. The Government of which Dr Solf is a subordinate member cannot represent it, because that Government, as Lord Robert Cecil has poiniied out. has always been dominated by the pan-Germans, and its leader, Baron Hertling, lias already spoken, with a voice as harsh aiid truculent as Dr »Solf's is mild and pleading. Force and guile have been the Germans' weapons. 'As their force diminishes it is natural thai) they should ' have more recourse to guile. Dr Solf may bo more honest and more reasonable than the powers' he has served thus far, but his J reasonableness does not jro far enough when lie proposes independence for Belgium, without one word of reparation or one j word of admission that Germany | has committed any crimes that j should be atoned for. His lion-' esty is not apparent in pretences that the German rule of coloured ! populations has been something specially humane, or (hat) Ger-j manv has any "honour." For; the "evils and miseries of carnage"' he can never shed more tears than the Kaiser and Crown Prince, their chief authors, have done. Dr Mieliaelis a former' Chancellor, expressed the same I view for a moderate" peace in accepting the resolution of the Reichstag for a settlement which ' should be without annexations or! indemnities. Writina- to a stud-j entis' body, when, the Reichstag went back on (hose professions, he explained that-' his moderation had been no more than camouflage. "I maintain the firm hope," he wrote, "that the peace will be a peace which is worthy of Germany's sacrifices.'' The nations must have "more confidence in Germany." says the Colonial Minister. but thai: is what they railnot have until tliev know that the voice which offers even a. re-1 pentani. peac is not, the voice of treacherous Junkerdom. that, the power of -lunkerdom has been destroyed for ever either by the German people, whose revolt is not yet evident!, or by the Allies' armies. The Toronto correspondent of the "New York Post," writing on July 12th, notes that vague rumours of a Gorman, "peace offensive" had had absolutely no influence on the Canadian ■stock markets, "showinjr a. very ilift'erent nl-iilu-le from flint of 10HJ :md 191o." Finaiiri-il Canada, he states, is not con-

cerncd with peace ialk coming from the enemy, because it believes that "the knowledge of the enemy character, gained through four years of war," must make it useless while the military power of Germany remains unbroken. And that is the whole position.

Tlie British reeoverv of Bapaumo is not officially claimed, but as the British are holding the whole Albert road below it, unofficial reports of its capture can be accepted. It is not the Somrne battlefield now whicli remains to be recovered so much as the area which the Germans traversed iu the Hindenburg retreat bust year. Bapaume is La If way to Cambrai, and Lihons. on the Chaulnes front, one third of the way from the Allies' recent line to St. Quentin. At the present rate of progress the Germans will soon be back 011 the front which they held before the March offensive. Desperate efforts are being made, by throwing in remnants of divisions, to stay tlie rout, but disorganisation is not absent. Good news comes fro nn northern Russia, where the Cadets and moderate Socialists continue to oppose tlie Bolsheviks and Germans.

The figures quoted at last night's Council meeting, whicli sliow an increase in the receipts of the motor bus system for the four months of tlie present? j-ear of .£-358, as compared with the corresponding period of last year, are most gratifying. The chairman of the Bus Committee stated that if this increase was continued the buses would show a profit at the end of the year, notwitlistandjng the greatly increased cost of petrol. The bus sendee has been much maligned outside the Council—but it has always had real usefulness, and when it can show a profit its vehicles should be able to "comport themselves proudly," instead of lurching in the somewhat 'ungainly manner which its top-deckers at least afhen the Council can acquire half-a-dozen or more new buses of the smallest type there will be less lurching, and -with a more frequent service there will be many more ridel's, especially if the Council posts up far more frecj uent- notices of tlie "times of running than exist at present. In due course the small types will make excellent feeders for a tramway service.