erring face to face we realized that better results were achieved by
means of a few hours of businesslike discussion by men anxious to come
to a workable arrangement than by reams of correspondence.
Misconceptions and misunderstandings were cleared away in a second which
otherwise might take weeks to ferment into mischief, and it was our
conclusion that these conferences might with profit to the cause of the
Allies be extended to other spheres of co-operation. [Cheers.]

Britain's Unsheathed Sword

By H.H. Asquith, England's Prime Minister

Stating the estimated costs of the war to Great Britain,
outlining the operations of the French and British allied
fleets in the Dardanelles, declaring the Allies' position in
retaliation for the German "war zone" decree against Great
Britain, and reaffirming the chief terms of peace, stated in
his Guildhall speech of last November, on which alone England
would consent to sheathe the sword, the following speech,
delivered in the House of Commons on March 1, 1915, by Prime
Minister Asquith, is one of the most important of the war.

_In Committee of Supply._

_Mr. Asquith, who was loudly cheered on rising, moved the supplementary
vote of credit of L37,000,000 to meet the expenditure on naval and
military operations and other expenditure arising out of the war during
the year 1914-1915. He said:_

The first of the two votes which appear upon the paper, the one which
has just been read out, provides only for the financial year now
expiring, and is a supplementary vote of credit. The vote that follows
is a vote of credit for the financial year 1915-1916. I think it will
probably be convenient if in submitting the first vote to the committee
I make a general statement covering the whole matter. I may remind the
committee that on Aug. 6 last year the House voted L100,000,000 in the
first vote of credit, and that on Nov. 15 the House passed a
supplementary vote of credit for L225,000,000, thus sanctioning total
votes of credit for the now expiring financial year of L325,000,000. It
has been found that this amount will not suffice for the expenditure
which will have been incurred up to March 31, and we are therefore
asking for a further vote of L37,000,000 to carry on the public service
to that date. If the committee assents to our proposals it will raise
the total amount granted by votes of credit for the year 1914-1915 to
L362,000,