DESIRE FOR PEACE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 58, Issue 305, 6 October 1938, Page 5

DESIRE FOR PEACE

MASS OF GERMAN PEOPLE. THE CHEERS FOR CHAMBERLAIN SIR JOHN SIMON’S VIEWS. 3 (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 11.35 a.m.) LONDON, October 5. Moving in the House of Commons the motion, “that the House approves the policy of his Majesty’s Government by which war was averted, and supports their efforts to secure a lasting peace,” Sir John Simon (Chancellor of the Exchequer) said that the lesson of the crisis was that the mass of the people in every country were equally horrified at the prospect of war. When the Germans cheered Mr Chamberlain at Munich, eye-witnesses vouched for it that they were not cheering because the Fuhrer was gaining territory or achieving his purposes; hut simply and solely because they knew Mr Chamberlain was working for peace. The cheers were cheers for peace.

Sir John Simon added that there were two other main reflections arising from the events of the last few weeks: The first was the gravity of the fact that Herr Hitler had been* prepared to risk a world war rather than wait. The second was the fortitude and calmness with which the Czechs faced surrender of territory at the insistent demand of Germany and on pressure of the British and French Governments. Sir John denied that there had been any discrimination against Russia in the course of the recent negotiations. There was no intention, he added, to exclude her from any future European settlement.

Stressing the fact that this was the first occasion on which Herr Hitler had made concessions, Sir John Simon said: “It must be a very di.cult thing for the head of a totalitarian State to retract. It is like a motor-car that has got no reverse gear; therefore even minor adjustments have a significance.”—British Official Wireless. Mr Winston Churchill said that Britain had sustained total, unmitigated defeat, and France even worse. “The utmost the Prime Minister was able to secure had been that Herr Hitler, instead of snatching victuals from the table, was content to have them served to him course by course,” said Mr Churchill, The terms Mr Chamberlain brought from Munich could easily have been agreed to through diplomatic channels at any. time during the summer. I believe that the Czechs, left to themselves and knowing that they were not to get help from the Powers, would have been able to make better terms and could hardly have got worse. We are in the presence of a disaster of the first magnitude for Britain and France. Wte cannot consider abandonment of Czechoslovakia after what happened last month. It is the most grievous consequence we have yet experienced of what we have done or left undone during the last five years—five years of futile good intentions. Mr Cham(berlaii\, replying to Mr Wedgwood-Benn (Labour) said it was a mistake to assume that the whole of the Czech defences had been handed over intact. The areas occupied last Saturday, and to be occupied on Friday were mostly outside the defences. It was impossible to state the proportion to he included next Monday until the International Commission reached its decision. He added that the Commission was considering the question of removal of guns and other materials .from zones coming under occupation. Dealing with the fate of Czech hostages, Mr Chamberlain said that the British representatives on the International Commission had been instructed to press for their release as soon as possible.

INTERNATIONAL UNREST. THE UNDERLYING CAUSES. PROBLEM MUST BE SOLVED. LONDON, October -4. The debate on the Prime Minister’s statement regarding the Czechoslovakian crisis was continued in the House of Commons to-day. Replying to an interjection by Dr. Hugh Dalton, ‘ who suggested that Dr. Burgin’s argument was an overwhelming condemnation of the proposed new guarantee of the Czechoslovakian frontiers, Dr. Burgin said that was not true. They were “separate considerations.”

Turning to the future, Dr. Burgin said that the underlying causes of international unrest must be tackled- and there should be a resolve to turn recent events to good account. The Government -would use all its efforts peacefully to solve international problems while pushing on with the country’s defences. Mr James Maxton (leader of the International Labour Party) which announced last week its unqualified opposition to war in whatever circumstances it was undertaken, said that Mr Chamberlain had done something that the common people of the world wanted done. Now there was a breathing space and every scrap of human intellect that could be should be brought to bear to make the breathing space into real world peace. The Minister for the Co-ordination of Defence (Sir Thomas Inskip), who wound up for the day, said the Dominions had left no doubt of their support for the Prime Minister, who had shown a timely reasonableness. A formal treaty of guarantee was not yet drawn up, but His Majesty’s Government felt under an obligation to Czechoslovakia to treat the guarantee as now in. force.

In the event, therefore, of an act of aggression against Czechoslovakia His Majesty’s Government would certainly feel bound to take all steps in her power to see that integrity is preserved.