HENDERSON'S VIEWS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 136, 11 June 1929, Page 7

HENDERSON'S VIEWS.

Favours Russia And Troops

From Rhineland. CULTIVATE U.S. RELATIONS. (British. Official Wireless.) (Received 12 noon.) EUGBY, June 10. Most of the new Ministers took over their Departmental duties this morning. They will have a clear three weeks before the serious work of Parliament begins. Parliament will meet on June 25, but the only business in the first week will be the election of the Speaker and the swearing in of members. The King's Speech will not be read and the debate on the address will not take place until a week later. In an interview with the "Daily Herald," Mr. Arthur Henderson, Secretary cf State for Foreign Affairs, referred to the Prime Minister's statement that he intended to go to Geneva as one of the Government representatives to the League of Nations Assembly meeting. Mr. Henderson said that both Mr. MacDonald and he regarded relations with the League as one of the most essential features of their policy. "We must be not only in the League but of the League. Our policy will be conducted in the spirit of the League, and we shall approach our problems not from the standpoint of national strategy but from the standpoint of international co-operation. That will inspire our policy both towards the States which are members of the League and towards those which, like the United States and Eussia, are still outside it. "America is enormously important, for it is obvious that in many problems affecting the peace of the world the United States holds the key of the situation. We shall do everything in Gur power to strengthen the bonds between the great English-speaking democracies. "The other great nation outside the League is the Soviet Union. The Labour party's policy is well known and it will be put into operation with all expedition, though, of course, negotiations will be necessary in order to put our diplomatic and our trading relations on that satisfactory basis, that is essential both for the sake of world peace and for economic reasons. "Ever since my mission to Eussia in 1917 I have been personally anxious to see the closest possible relations established between the British and Eussian peoples, and no dislike of the form of Government which exists in Eussia ought to influence our desire to secure the most friendly working relations." Regarding reparations Mr. Henderson said that the Government would study the experts' report and ascertain the I opinion of the other Governments con- ! cerned. Only then could they consider their next step. Troops From the Rhine. In reference to the Rhineland, he said: "We are anxious to see all foreign troops withdrawn from German territory as soon as possible, but we shall have to consider carefully the best ways and means of achieving that and so, with the other questions, with disarmament for example, and with the supremely important one of arbitration, our objects are well known. Now we have to work out the problems of how to achieve them."