The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1919-04-30 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

AND EMCORDER.  I remember in his lifetime and have never forgotten." He recalled the visit of the Prime Minister to Birkenhead at the time of one of the great crises of the war, and when the nation as a whole was glad to receive from him one of those great, clear, and plain messages of encouragementr in a dark season which none was more fined than the Prime Minister to give (applause). "I approach you, Mr. Mayor," he continued. at a very different mason, when the war has been won, when the problem is not how or whether the war is to be won, bint how and under what circumstances and with whek_consequencee the peace in to be won. It is indeed, throwing our minds back, somewhat strange to recall how little we concerned ourselves with the problems which, even if we won the war, waited upon the victory. It is strange now, looking back, to think how lit seemed even to the most thoughtful amongst our counttymen that, if once the war was won, all our problems would immediately disappear, and all we would have to do would be to-reach forward our hands and to seize and garner in the fruits of that victory" (hear, hear). But he thought that if we had thought a little more and considered the history of the after events of great previous war•confte, gratioms we would have been lea sanguine. Taking the South African war as an instance, though it was infinitesimal compared with the European war, there was a reaction, and an after consequence ' of that war which lasted 15 or 16 years. After the Napoleonic ware this country went through ten yearn of almost the gravest anxiety which in time of peace this country has ever passed through. The truth was, he argued, that when the country had passed through a crisis such as it had passed through in thee(' 4} years, when it had struggled and made SACRIFICES SO PRODIGIOUS lbdth in blood and treasure, a reaction of I the greatest 'description was inevitable, a reaction producing endless mischiefs to which no man could assign a conclusion. This result would, happen even. if there were no special problems attending the making of peace (hear, hear), he pointed out, wad he proceeded very seriously to plead for patience and indulgence for there engaged in the making of pease. "If we did not know," he said, "when the Peace Conference began we realise to-day that the problems of making a satisfludtory peace are very nearly as complex and difficult as the problems cf gaining a antis.. factory victory (hear, hear). lam guite sure of this, that amid all the impaltienoe ' you must have felt at these long-drawn negotiations which have gone on in Paris, hardly one among your number has not remembered how prodigious are the difficulties with which those men who are attempting to safeguard your interests there are dealing. "Impatience arises in your minds and you say, as the newspapers are fond of saying, 'They have had five months to make peace, why don't they come back with the peace made? It sounds very easy for 'thaw who have not had to deal with problems more baffling and more perplexing than any problems in the world, and those who have to deal with negotiations which, oif successful, will possibly mean that our children and grandchildren will not be caught up in the maelstrom of a Struggle like that which has murderel the youth of the present generaticri. It is . .