There has been a number of suggestions put forward since the commencement of the war that the Allies should make an early statement of their war aims. Sir Walter Layton, chairman of the "News-Chronicle" is the latest to come forward with the same argument, but it seems to be overlooked that Mr. Chamberlain has already made it quite clear for what the Allies are fighting, namely the freedom of the races which have been converted into minoris by the extension of the boundaries of the Reich, and the provisions of adequate guarantees against further displays of force by Germany süch as the last one which brought about the war. The question of guarantees is the real difficulty, for no statesman in Europe would, after recent experiences, dare to trust any guarantees which might be given either by Herr Hitler himself or any of his heirs to office It follows that one of the principal aims must be the abolition of his government, and the substitution therefore of a regime which can be trusted. Sir Walter's suggested aims are in fact very little different from those which have already been propounded. The liberation of Czechoslovakia and Poland is the paramount consideration, the securing of adequate guarantees almost the same as Mr. Chamberlain's idea, but to that he has added a means of ascertaining the boundaries of the victimized states which should commend itself as likely to do the most justice in the light of circumstances which must always be difficult, That portion of Sir Walter Layton's scheme has much to be said for it, and when the time comes for a final settlement it is to be hoped that some such process will be resorted to, That that may necessitate something in the nature of transference (of populations, similar to what Herr Hitler has been doing, should be borne in mind, for he has set a valuable precedent for bringing about more stable conditions after war has ended, and removing causes for irritation, which, no matter how real or unreal they might have been, certainly gave Herr Hitler fame sort of excuse for his marauding expedi-ions, Which War The Transocean News Agency, which distributes German news in the Far East, has had its leg horribly pulled by the "Petit Parisien," which has succeeded in perpetrating a joke of the last war and having it swallowed, distributed and reprinted only two days ago. Under a Geneva date line of October 31, this agency distributed the following message published by a contemporary with the heading "Six Amerícans Held In 'All Alien' Order:"
The Governor of a remote British colony, according to a report in the Paris paper "Petit Parisien," received on September 2 a cable from the Colonial Office saying "War has bèn declared. Intern enemy aliens.'
On the next day the London Colonial Office received the following repl; "We have interned four Dutch, six Americans, three Brazilians, four Japanese, 12 Chinese, two Guatemalans, two Turks and three Egyptians, Please inform us who are enemy aliens."
As a matter of fact, this was a Great War joke when it was applied to the Governor of the Fiji Islands and aroused raucous laughter among men who now have long white beards, so hoary is it. The Germans may despise French military strength but they must respect their sense of humour.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.