Evening star., 1925-05-31

news of the world for the
seven days ended May 80.
| x
The British Empire-Great Britain
is aroused by the fact (made of public
knowledge by debate thereon in the
| Commons) that within recent months
several important orders for con-
struction of craft for British use have
gone to Dutch and German shipyards;
| one to a Dutch yard for six motor
tankers; another to a Dutch yard for
thirteen steamdriven tankers; third
to Hamburg yard for five motor
| liners.
=. The foreign bids were SO much low
J er than the lowest British ones "a to-
tai difference of about 81, 500. 900 in the
case of the German bid that it was
necessary TO accept them: the British
| bidders would not (probably could noD
| accept generous compromises offered
them. The chagrin might have been
endurable had motor craft only "a new
type) been involved; but that, in the
present depression of British ship
building, orders for steam-driven craft
should go abroad-that was too much.
The primary reasons are the lower
| wages and the longer working hours
on the continent and the far lower
| taxation levied on continental indus
tries. The average weekly wage in
the German yards is said to be the
equivalent of Sc; in Great Britain of
Sl5. The German workman puts in "a
hours per week; the British workman,
! At. Moreover, the continental yards
are adapted for other kinds of output
in the absence of shipbuilding orders.
There are other reasons, but the
above are sufficient. Prior to the
| great war 80 per cent of the new ship
ping of the world was being turned
out of British yards; the percentage
is now 30
Lieut.. Col. Repington, the famous
war correspondent and author Of the
two well-known books, THE First
| World War" and After the War" is
dead.
| j. G. Coates succeeds the late Mr..
Massey as premier of New Zealand
| Like Mr.. Massey, he is a member of
| the so-called Reform Conservative
Party. which is the strongest party in
the New Zealand Parliament.
| x
French Morocco-The French have
| withdrawn to the south of the Wergha
| River. Maintenance of the line block
| houses north of the river at inter
| walls Of above five M s, and with
mobile columns disposed so as to sup
port threatened blockhouses and re
pulse attempts at infiltration past the
gaps, was too exhausting.
| The new line is shorter and easily
defensible and considerable forces are
released for normal open warfare
north of the river, and for strengthen
| ing the defense OF the railroad line
from FeZ, eastward via Tasa and Cjda
10 Algeria, by which line reinforce
ments and supplies are conveyed from
Algeria. The advantages thus secured
are offset by increase of exposure of
the natives north of the Wergha 10
the propaganda. or tender mercieS of
! iAbd-el-hrinn, who no doubt will con-
| siderably augment the number of his
recruits from those unfortunates
caught between the devil and deep
sea. The latter are, in fact, sacrificed
to political eXigencies; for Marshal
Lyautey has been compelled to post
pone his plans to await the result of
debate in the French Chamber and the
result of efforts by the French goverA-
ment to persuade the Spanish gov.
eminent to cooperate with it in deal
ing with Abd-el-krin. BY the treaty
between France and the Sultan o1
Morocco, the former is stopped from
independent negotiations with Abd-el-
Krim; but it is understood that q
member of the Sultan's family is, by
mutual consent of the Sultan and the
French authorities, attempting q
negotiation.
On Wednesday, the 27th, the French
government was. interpellated in the
Chamber by Socialist and Communist
lspokesmen on the origin and the con
duct of the Moroccan war. The amin
adversions of the Socialist leader.
NJ. Renaudel, We're moderate, but the
Communist champion lashed himself
into a Red fury, threatening that the
French soldiers would be brought to
fraternize with the Rifenos.' There
upon he left the tribune under pres
sure, while the handful of Commu-
nists in the Chamber sang the Inter
rationale
The next day NJ. Painleve, the
premier. and NJ. BRAND. the foreign
minister, explained to the Chamber the
governments Moroccan policy. Not
a single soldier" said Painleve, will
be sacrificed for conquest, but all the
forces of France will be used for her
defense. If France is at war. it is
in spite of herself, and she is at war
only for peaceful ends. French SOW
ereignty in Northern Africa is al
stake; that sovereignty, given by
treaties, France will defend to the ut
termost. 1t is a national question; il
is the whole colonial trade of France
that is at stake. We are establishing
two great forts to dominate the
Wergha, and there we will remain ex
clusively on the defense. protecting
Jour territory against the Riffian raids
ASSOCIATED Press translationl-Al
most the whole Chamber, except, OF
course, the Communists, applaudeG
the above declaration, but some of the
Socialists thought they scented an AT
rican in the woodpile when BRAND an
nounced his expectation of an agree
ment with the Spanish government
whereby an effective blockade would
be established to prevent Illicit sup
ply of arms to Abd-elkrim. One may
only guess the precise nature of the
Socialists apprehension, but it is 6
good guess that they feared that NJ
Pain1eves defensive" might include
that offensive" which experts agree
is, where feasible, the best kind oi
defensive"
To be at once technical and euphe
mistic, your ''offensive-defensive" is
the ticket At any rate. caucus OF
Socialist members, held in an inter
val of the Chamber proceedings, de
cided by a majority of one to abstain
from voting should the question OF
confidence be put. Getting wind OF
this. Painleve postponed the putting
of the question to the next day, hop
ing to be able in the meantime to per
suade the Socialists to better mind
Could he, indeed, accept a vote of con
fidence achieved only through support
from the opposition?
1t is to be noted that NJ. BRAND did
not express expectation that the
Spanish government would allow
4 French pursuit of Riff forces within
the Spanish zone. Without such per-
mission, French action must needs be
In the strictest sense defensive. The
above detail would seem to be worth