The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-10-14
TALKED ABOUT ITALY
WINSTON CHURCHILL EXPLAINS
WHY SHE IS NEUTRAL.

IL OA1c 40 ANcS AASIAHs
Interview of the English Statesman
Arouses Considerable Interest in
Italy When Published.
Considerable interest and no little
controversy have been aroused by an
| interview recently given by First
Lord of the Admiralty Winston
| Churchill to the London correspond
ent of the Glornale d'Italia of Rome
The interview seems likely to play a
large part in the eventual discussions
| arising out of the war.
The correspondent asked what i'm
preston was made in England and
upon the British government by the
| Italian declaration Of neutrality
Mr.. Churchill answered.:
eve always thought it was impos'
sible for Italy to fight with Austria
or to fight against England, and in
all the Admiralty arrangements fol
the Mediterranean since have beer
here We have always acted on the
certainty that Italy would be neutra
and measured our naval force only
against Austria"
There has been a great deal o.
talk in Italy of the impossibility o1
active Intervention by Italy in case
of a change in the Adriatic sltua
tion," the correspondent said. III
there any probability of a change IL
the Adriatic situation in consequence
of Franco-British naval operations?'
/ "You see," said Mr.. Churchill
"the naval situation in the Adriati'
is rather like that in the North Sea
The Austrian fleet is hiding. It lie:
hidden in it's hole, and until it i:
convenient to dig it out it is difficult
to get decision. l do not see how
any change in the Adriatic situation
would result from naval operations
but the great changes that will come
will result from the collapse of Aus
tria on land. The greatest feature
yet apparent in the course of the wa
is the collapse of Austria as mill
tary factor. That collapse appears tt
be irreparable, and that is tremen
dous event in the history of th'
world"
! "Do you think it probable tha
there will be a possibility of such al
| arrangement as will give guarantee
to the position of Italy and leave he
free from any fears Of hostile pre-
dominance?"
Il think the great events Of thi
war that will affect Italy are takin;
place on land rather than on sea
Italy would have nothing to appre
lhend nayally from the victory of Eng
land and France. She would Away
be strong enough to deal with Aus
tria on sea, unless, of course, victo
rious Germany came to the aid o
Austria. If Germany succeeded il
the war and the English power wer'
broken, Germany would, of course
send as many ships as she liked tt
join the Austrian fleet, and coult
send them much quicker than 1tal.
could build them.
sBut still I repeat that for Ital.
this is primarily an affair of the lant
rather than of the sea-
"Africa an Easy Matter"
There appears to be at this mo
ment danger of an Islamic movemen
in the North of Africa promoted b.
| Germany that would eventually men
! ace British, Italian, and French in
terests equally on the northern shor'
of the Mediterranean. Do you thinl
it possible that on this basis ther'
would be room for an agreement be
tween the three chief Mediterranean
powers?"
| "The great issues of the hour.
Mr.. Churchill replied, "are in Eu
rope, not in Africa, and if they cal
be satisfactorily regulated as far a.
Europe is concerned, Africa is al
easy matter"
| "The argument is put forward b.
few that there has hitherto beer
no decisive engagement between thu
German and British fleets, and conse
quently they regard this as success
Do you think there is any foundation
for this belief and whether the fac
that the German fleet still remain!
in being is in any way likely to affec
the outcome of the war;"
"a great battle on sea has not ye
been fought, but although it has no
yet been fought We enjoy as great {
| command of the sea and as free
use of sea power as we should have
after a decisive engagement. VIVA
is there, for instance, that we coulc
do then that we are not doing now:
| German trade has ceased, German
supplies have been largely strangled
British trade is in all essentials 60
ing on uninterruptedly, the materials
of industry and the food of the peo
pie are entering the country daily II
vast quantities at commercial prices
We are moving scores of thousands
of men across ali the oceans OF the
world. Our submarines are blockad'
| ing the very throat of the Elbe.
1--WE started with a substantial,
naval preponderance, much more
like 2 to l than Is to 10. In the
next twelve months we shall have
twice as many battleships completing
| and three or four times as many
cruisers as Germany. ii the losses
were even equal, our position at this
time next year would be far stronger
than it is to-day.
"You must remember that none OF
the ships built in my tenure of Of
fee, except the small cruiser Are
thusa, have been commissioned yet.
| These are the most powerful and
| most expensive ships that have ever
been built. They are the fruits OF
the greatest naval effort England has
ever made They are all coming
along the road.
First Month the Most Critical.
1--WE always regarded the first
month of the war as our most diff
cult and critical month from the
naval point of view, and We have
nothing to complain of in the way
that month has gone"
Zone argument constantly employ
ed, especially by German diplomats
dealing with Italy, is that if Italy re-
mains alone in the Mediterranean