INDIA PRINT PHOTOGRAPHS!
Photography has made wonderful progress of late, and amongst the latest ideas is the famous Tesla "India Prints." They are exquisitely suitable for children, ladies, and gentlemen. Note the address: Tesla Studios, opp. Post Office, Wanganui. Phone 381, ,
ly be held to endeavour to give effect to the terms of the Covenant. The work of the Peace Conference would go on for many months yet. because the Austrian and other treaties had not yet been completed. He referred to the steps he took to secure in the Turkish Treaty the care of the graves on Gallipoli, of New Zealand soldiers. He believed Palestine would remain under the British Empire, but while the Sultan of Turkey would probably remain at Constantinople he would be shorn of most ot: his power and territory. The mandates over the Pacific Islands were next explained on iincs already published. So far as Samoa was concerned, it came under New Zealand. Its revenue was sound, and though improvements would have to be made at the harbour of Apia to cope with increasing trade, the cost of that work would be a charge on Samoa, not on New Zea_ land. There was no question of 'fortifying Samoa, but he was satisfied that it would be a great measure of safety to both Australia and Xew Zealand that th£y secured control of those islands so adjacent to their shores.
Discussing: the mandate over the Island of Nauru, Mr Massey explained the difficulty which arose between Mr Hughes and himself as to the respective shares in the mandate and the final arbitration of Lord Milner, who determined the matter qpn lines suggested by him (Mr Massey). He concluded by quoting- freely from reports showing the enormous wealth of the island.
SPEECH BY SIR JOSEPH WARD
Sir Joseph Ward said that before the war very few ; people realised what'a stupendous task the delegates at the Peace Conference had before them in endeavouring to settle peace terms satisfactorily to all parties. The bulk of the great task fell upon the representatives of the five Great Powers, aided by the best lawyers, civil servsjits, and international experts that tSc world could produce. There were 32 countries represented at the Conference, and his personal opinion was that the greatest work done at the Conference was the establishment, of the League of Nations, which, in time, would become the guide and controller ofijgreat nations and lead them in the path of peace. He outlined the purposes of the League, but declared that he thought, it would never properly fulfil its functions until Germany and Russia were admitted as members. This, he thought, would be the case within two years. The limitation ;of armaments provided Tor in the con-, stitution of the League would not apply to the Navy. We were an essentially maritime people, and he asserted that we could not submit to ' any control over the British Navy except the British Government and the Governments of British Dominions. Every maritime nation was recognising the need for additional naval power, and we must not neglect precautions./ Coming to the Peace Treaty itself, he said it affirmed many points of world-wide importance. For instance, there" were to be no fortifications on the banks of the Rhine. There were to be no preferential railway tariffs either., to help Germany or cripple her opponents in trade. Tfie restoration of Alsace-Lorraine was also a great achievement, as was the securing of independence of Austria, and many small nations, which cut off so much,!: of the fighting force which* German}?' endeavoured to utilise to her own ends. Heligoland, that great German fortress which was such a menace to the British Navy, was to be destroyed by German labour. That surely was something for which the Treaty was worth while. Regarding the mandate over Samoa, he had some doubts. He believed it would have been better if Britain had that mandate, but it was our duty to affirm the Treaty with the mandate in it ,and wait on time to show whether the opinion he has just expressed was right. The Labour Covenant in the Treaty was a fine effort, for which Mr Barnes should be thanked, but the weak point of the Labour charter was that America and Japan held back from accepting it, and until it had world-wide application he thought it would never be so effective as it should be. Regarding the financial side of the Treaty, he thought the only safe course for us was not. to count on getting anything. We might get the ten millions mentioned by the Premier, but we certainly would not get anything for ten years. At the end of that time he anticipated circumstances will be so changed that it would not be possible to make the necessary demands upon Germany. The amount Germany had made up for France and Belgium was so great that he saw no prospect of her being able to meet the claims made by us. Another great advantage of the Treaty Avas that it cancelled all secret treaties between the nations and cleared the atmosphere of secret diplomacy. Germany could no longer differentiate against imports from other countries till the canal was to be free to all ships. These things were but the fringe of many points in the Treaty, and it was a great thing that the House should have the opportunity of ratifying this Treaty which took Samoa from Germany. A step which he urged when Colonial Secretary nineteen years ago. LABOUR'S OPINION. Mr Holland said he proposed to give reasons why the Labour members of the Houfie could not fall io with the view that the Treaty should be unanimously ratified. He complained of the manner in which the House was being asked to .ratify a Treaty which it hadjiever seen and about Avhich they had to rely entirely on the statements of the two gentlemen who Aveut from i.his country, statements which could not be wholly accepted, ior even they have not agreed. He uriefly discussed Nauru, which he said overshadoAved the whole of the Premier's speech. He favoured the mandatory system, but thought Samoa should not have been placed under the control of NeAV. Zealand but under the League of Nations, Avhich was much more likely to treat the native race with justice. He then proceeded to analyse at 'length the basic causes of the Avar for" the purpose of showing that no one man was responsible for the great war, which Ava.s due almost entirely to capitalistic influences. The League of Nations as constituted Avas most unjust, -being dominated by the
five great military Powers, and if Germany and Russia came in later they would have to take a position equal only to Siam or Peru. v The people had said that never again v/ould they trade with Germans,'the men who killed our sons, but the Treaty was ;$ traders' treaty, as was clearly shown by Sir Joseph Ward's spech. So far from boycotting German trade, we were compelling Germany to trade with us. Did anyone pretend that the Shantung settlement, under which that great madtime province was handed to Japan, was just? To China and no one else should that territory have been given, but the history of that promise was simply a sorry scramble between the trading countries of Europe. He thought it a good thing that conscription should be abolished in Germany and the German navy, and it. would be a better thing if conscription went out all over the world and there were no longer navies anywhere. He did not believe the financial conditions of the Treaty were possible, but if they were the indemnities received would be more disastrous to those who received them than to the Germans, because the whole financial proposals were economically unsound. It was.most unjust to punish the German people lor tne crimes of the military class who never enjoyed the franchise, and whose ruling class was officially welcomed by the British public and British Press. He had no hope that the Peace Treaty would bring peace.
Mr P. Fraser declared that no one pretended that the great war was a war to end' war. Mr Lloyd George had declared that the Allies were not against the German* people or the Turkish nation, but his secret treaties made after the war started, it. was shown that the Allies were prepared to carve up the map of Europe in such a way as gave ,110 guarantee of security to small nations. He quoted the opinions of editors and others to show, that the terms of the Treaty would defeat-its own ends because it was the most comprehensive document of punishment ever placed on record. The pi'inciple of self-determination was violated in every direction by the Treaty, and the only solution for the problems was that promised by organised labour, which went out for no acquisition of territory.
Mr Edward Newman said that until he heard the speeches of the the Labour members to-night he never heard any one express dissatisfaction at the work done by Mr Massey and Sir Joseph Ward at the Peace Conference. He therefore thought those members quite out of touch with the opinion of the people of this country.jHe thought it would have been better if Samoa had been placed unde's the control o£ Britain, but he warmly approved the League of-Nations.
Mr Wilford declared that had the League of Nations been in existence on August 4th, .1.914, the great war could not have happened, because before Austria attacked Serbia Serbia could have applied to the great Allied Tribunal. That was the solution of great international problems, and the contention that this resolution would come through organised labour or organised socialism waa tripe.
At 11.13 the Speaker "put the question and the motion was carried ton the voices.
...The House rose at 11.15 till 2.30 to-morrow.
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Bibliographic details
Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXIV, Issue 17655, 3 September 1919, Page 5
Word Count
1,651INDIA PRINT PHOTOGRAPHS! Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXIV, Issue 17655, 3 September 1919, Page 5
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