New-York tribune., 1918-12-12
Beaten Nation ''Should
Pay to Utmost of Her
Ability Says Premier
Britain to Refuse
To Give Up Navy
End of Conscription in
All Continental Nations
Urged in Bristol Speech

BRISTOL, England, Dec. IL (By The
Associated Press].-Ths war bill OF
the Allies against Germany is $780,,
ooo,ooo,ooo, the British Prime Minister
David Lloyd George, told large gath.
ering here to-day.
Before the war the estimated wealth
of Germany, said the Premier, was be.
tween s75.ooo,oOo 100000 and 500, 900 ,ooO,.
600. So, if the whole wealth of Ger.
many were taken there would not be
enough to pay the account. Therefore
he had used the words: Germany
should pay to the utmost limit of her
capacity"
When Lloyd George was addressing
an overflow meeting he said Great
Britain would be guilty of great folly
if she gave up her navy.
A voice interrupted: "Then watch
Wilson"
The Premier replied: "Well, hope
to meet him in fortnight. l will tell
him what you say
Wherever the request comes from,
we are not going to give up the pro
lection of the navy so far as Great
Britain is concerned"
Navy Defensive Weapon
"Our navy is a defensive weapon and
not IN offensive one," the Premier said
in his main speech, "and that is why
we do not mean to give it up"
The Premier said the English mill
tary service (conscription) act was
passed IN order to meet great emer-
gency. When that emergency was
passed the need was passed, and the
act would lapse. He added there was
no intention to renew it. Whether
Great Britain would require conscrip-
tion in the future in any shape or
form, Mr. Lloyd George said, depended
not upon the opinion which he now
expressed, but upon the peace terms
which were made. Continuing, the
Prime Minister said:
What drove US to conscription was
the existence Of conscript armies on
the Continent that inevitably rushed
the world into war. They could not
have great military machines there
without tempting the men at the head
of them to try their luck with those
machines.
Would End Conscription
THE Germans always felt there was
nothing to resist their perfect n!lli-
tary machine. If you want a perma-
ncnt peace, if you want to prevent the
horrors Of this war being repeated, you
must put an end to conscript armies
On the Continent Of Europe
The first thing to do is to prevent
the repetition of blunders of the past
by making it impossible to have those
great conscript armies in the future.
1--WE did not have the machinery for
an offensive war. Our navy is a de-
fensive weapon and not an offensive
one, and that is why we do not mean
to give it up. We have kept these
islands free from invasion for cen
turies, and we mean to take no risk IN
the future"
Germany Muss Pay Bill
Mr.. Lloyd George declared that the
decision which would be taken in the
next few months in the peace confer
ence was going to leave a mark upon
the world. The ages to come, he said,
would be able to reap the fruits of it.
The Premier next dealt with the
question of indemnity. He declared
the war had cost Germany less than it
had cost Great Britain 1t had cost
Great Britain, he declared, SAC, ,0O0. .0O0,-
600. The German bill, he believed,
was $4,000, 100000 or s35 900 ,00o. 900.
He contended it was indefensible that
the person who was in the wrong and
had lost should pay less than the
person who was declared to be in the
right and had won.
Indemnity Plan Perfected
The Premier said q British imperial
commission had been appointed to in
vestigate the capacity of Germany (to
pay) and that he had received its re-
port. He summarized his remarks on
this point as follows:
'First-As far as justice is con
cerned, we have an absolute right
to demand the whole cost Of the war
from Germany.
'Second-We propose to demand
the whole cost of the war from
Germany.
Third When you come TO the
cxacting of it we must exact in such
way that it does not do more harm
to the country that receives it than
the country that is paying it.
"FOurthfThe committee appointed