A LEAD FOR EUROPE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 138, 23 March 1935, Page 5

A LEAD FOR EUROPE

BRITAIN’S PRESENT-DAY TASK. RELATIONS WITH GERMANY. DEBATE IN HOUSE OF COMMONS. (United: Press Association—Copyright.} LONDON, March 21. The forthcoming Ministerial conversations in Berlin and elsewhere were the subject of a brief and restrained debate in the. House of Commons today. Mr George Lansbury (leader of the Opposition) in opening the debate, said that the events in Germany during the week-end caused a shock and a feeling akin to despair almost comparable with what happened in 1914. The nations of Europe should be made to understand that the British Government’s policy was peace, based not on rearmament, but disarmament. Mr Lansbury continued: “If we do that other things will fall into their proper proportions. Labour is convinced that aerial warfare threatens the whole future of mankind. If this offer is not accepted we should at any rate have shown the world we are in real earnest. We want Sir John Simon at Berlin to say that when we agreed to re-arm Germany we did not agree to re-arming in the fashion she is now proposing. (Cheers.) Labour is convinced that the British Government and other Governments committed the great blunder in not reassembling another world economic conference. Until international economic relations are put on a different footing there cannot be peace and security. (Cheers.) If the world mobilised raw materials and organised markets it would be infinitely better than all the fiddling quotas and restrictions. There is jn the world room, materials and markets enough for everyone if properly organised. In 1914-18 a big price was paid on the cry that the war was the only wav to cast out militarism, but war cannot cast out war. I appeal to the House not to allow months to slip away until we are plunged into another war. The only way to root out war is peaceful arrangements not for the benefit of just our nation but of the whole world.”

Libera! Leaders Views. (Sir Herbert Samuel said that the Frenfch Note was unanswerable from the juridicial viewpoint, but it had long been apparent that failing general disarmament, Part V. of the Treaty of Versailles could not last long. There was in Germany a. school of thought which realised that Britain was terribly handicapped financially by a heavy national debt while Germany, by inflation and other means, had wiped out her pre-war debt. Germans were prepared to arm to the utmost of Germany’s resources. Could they imagine these people saying to themselves: “We have shaken off a dictated Treaty and broken the circle round us. Britain and France have fallen out. It is again clear that a single, resolute nation is more than a match for five or six quarrelling Powers.” It is therefore, right that at this critical hour warnings should be voiced, that this school' of thought in Germany has profoundly misunderstood the situation if they thought that the British people were either ignorant or indifferent. There was a maxim these Germans should remember, “He who makes many afraid has himself many. to fear.” Let Germany, haying obtained liquidation of an impossible position under the Treaty of Versailles, not think of defying the world a second time. Let her rejoin the comity of nations, - return to the League and work with others for the maintenance of peace, which is as essential to liei as to other people. He trusted that Sir John Simon, in the difficult, momentous negotiations at Berlin, would feel that ho had behind him . the full force of combined national support. , (.Cheers.) The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs <)Sir John Simon) said he hoped to have frank discussions with the German Chancellor, for his visit to Beilin called for complete frankness and discussion of a sort that could nQ, b preceded: by public rehearsals. The series of visits would' be exploratory in character. He recalled the terms of the London declaration of February 3, the tone of which was recognised by Germany as fair and friendly and, following which, an invitation was extended for the present visit. He had thought it necessary to make it entirely clear that the scope and purpose o. the visit should not be limited to some particular item raised in the London communique, but that the meeting should have before it the full width oi its subject matter.

Points for Discussion. There were to be four points of discession, namely exchanges of views on security, on armaments, on the return of Germany to the League, and on the proposed Air Pact. “It was only when an assurance was forthcoming on the German side t ia the discussions should be as wide as that that we recommended with the other Governments,” said biy John. “Not only were these four topics thus marked down, but it is the basis of the proposed visit that they should be discussed with a view ultimately to reaching a solution by agreement.” It was in those circumstances that the events occurred at the end of last week, which Mr Lansbury referred to in such grave and appropriate terms. It had inevitably provoked protests from the British, French and Italian Governments, and a very grave question arose as to the proper course to take. It was obvious that unilateral action inevitably raised a question as to the value of agreements, and that was a bad preparation for a future agreement, but he suggested that the course the Government had tried to take with reference to this most grave event was the wiser one. To refuse to cancel the engagement would lead nowhere. They therefore demanded an assurance that the scope of the conversations should be in no way restricted. The present state of suspicion and unrest in Europe could not be allayed

without security by negotiation and agreement on all the four matters mentioned, and in those circumstances, having made that reservation and protest, the Government had taken the view that it was necessary and right to continue this busine®. He offered no observation on. the date of the German announcement, hut its nature and contents, which threw such a disturbing light on the prospect of settlement hy an agreement, demanded notice. The figure indicated by the declaration of German effectives was so large and so considerable an advance over the figures suggested less than a year ago, and indeed exceeded what any Power in Western Europe at the present time could match, that it raised grave doubts as to whether, if such figures were persisted on, an agreement with some of Germany’s neighbours would be .possible. Sir John Simon said tTiey would go to Berlin determined to do everything that Britain could to promote peace and secure it. The object of the British policy throughout had been to help to bring this great State back into the councils of and the community of Europe, on terms just to her and fair and secure for all, so that she, with her great talent and resources, might contribute with a full sense of equal status and dignity to the task which every good European who wanted peace had got to share. “What we are striving for is increased confidence _ between the European States,” said Sir John. “We are not contemplating any -special agreement between this country and any other. The visits to Berlin, Moscow, and Warsaw do not mean that we have turned our backs on Paris, Pome, Brussels or Geneva.” (Cheers.)

FRANCE MANNING FRONTIER. GERMAN ARMY OF 720,000. PARIS, March 21. M. Maurin (Minister of War) told the Chamber’s Army Commission that the German Army would shortly number 720,000, while '7O per cent, of German factories were making war material. The construction -of machineguns continued night and day in four shjts, synthetic petrol factories were all recently enlarged and are turning out the maximum, and huge stocks of war stores were being formed. Moreover, Germany was turning out 15 aeroplanes daily. A communique says that M. Maurin declared that France must keep 260,000 men constantly with the colours. Ho promised to develop motorised formaand intensify the manufacture of armaments,. involving increased estimates for 1935, and subsequently. According to a deputy, M. Maurin detailed the French preparations to meet the situation. He said that contingents were occupying the principal strategic points of the frontier defence scheme. Troops were drawn for it partly from the interior garrisons and partly from frontiers, where a watch was no longer necessary owing to the international situation.

WORKING AT TOP SPEED. FRENCH ’PLANE FACTORIES. LONDON, March 21. The “Daily Mail’s” Palis correspondent says, that the war 'plane factories are working at top speed, following the Air Commission’s approval of the Government plans to increase the air strength. Already £28,000,000 has been spent under M. Denain’s thieeyear plan to renovate the air army by the end of 1936'. Now an additional £22,000,000 will be spent, enabling the completion of the plan by the end of 1935, andi providing between 4000 and 5000 ■ fighters and bombers. ITALIAN ARMY MOBILISING. ROME, March 21. General Baistroochi, speaking on the Army Estimates, said that the Government had decided t : o reduce the period of military service. The .only question was when the time was propitious. He added that the present moment was unsuitable for either a reduction in service or dispersing of the classes, which is interpreted to mean that the 1913 class will be retained in the colours, while the 1914 class is being called up within a few days, resulting in 440,000 being mobilised within a year.