Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1935. LABOUR AND SANCTIONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 304, 7 October 1935, Page 4

Ashburton Guardian Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1935. LABOUR AND SANCTIONS.

By its adoption, by an overwhelming majority, of the resolution approving of sanctions against an aggressor in the Abyssinian dispute the British Labour Party has justified the statement by Sir Samuel Hoare that the whole nation stands behind the Government in its attitude. The decision is the more notable because it was made in the face of unyielding opposi tion by the leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party, whose personal popularity is shown by the rousing reception he was accorded on rising to make his speech; in the face also of the resignations of Lord Ponsonby and Sir Stafford Cripps. At the conference Mr Lansbury acknowledged the difficulty of publicly repudiating a fundamental policy, but he was unequivocal in his condemnation of the attitude of the majority. In his opinion Labour was making a terrible mistake, for he believed force would never bring peace and goodwill to the world. But as the president said in his opening speech, the declaration made at the previous conference in no way advocated war with Italy, but was a pledge of organised Labour’s support to the League if it implemented its powers in the face of Italy’s open repudiation of her obligations. Mr Robinson added- “ Should Italy- persist in ignoring the view of mankind and defy the League's sanctions, then, however reluctant we may be to take the next step, there could be no alternative but tor the League to attempt to restrain Italy by force, which only utter madness on the part of Mussolini could bring into play. That is the crux of the whole position. Force never has brought, and never will bring, peace and goodwill to the world, but force must be met by force, otherwise the tyrant would be forever supreme. It is noteworthy that while with the exception of the Lang group in NewSouth Wales, all the Labour parlies throughout the other units of the _mpire have endorsed Britain s stand, ihe Labour Party in New Zealand has not made any pronouncement on the subject Surely acts of aggression such as would lead to the imposition ot sanctions are repugnant to all New Zealanders irrespective, of party ?