VARIED CAREER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 3000, 19 December 1935, Page 7

VARIED CAREER.

STATESMAN'S PALL.

Sir Samuel Hoare's Brilliant

Life of Service.

DIPLOMACY AND POLITICS.

In resigning, Sir Samuel Hoare may have finished a brilliant career, accepted censure for himself and his country without justifying it, and left his colleagues of the Baldwin Ministry to scramble out of an unenviable position.

From his triumphs, as Secretary of State for India and virtual ruler of that Empire, in piloting the epoch-making and much-contested India Reform Bill through the House of Commons earlier this year —it was the largest and probably "most far-reaching measure the House has ever approved —Sir Samuel Hoare was appointed in June last to the Foreign Secretaryship in succession to Sir John Simon, who became Home Secretary, in the general Cabinet reshuffle in which Mr. Ramsay MacDonald made way for Mr. Baldwin as Prime Minister. Sir Samuel Hoare made his first speech at Geneva on September 9, when he outlined to a mistrusting world Britain's intention to stand firm by the League Covenant, even to the extent of disciplining Italy. He drew much favourable comment for this "masterly and statesmanlike address," in which he announced British willingness to share in any collective imposition of sanctions or in any collective distribution in an effort to avert war. He made a remarkable broadcast speech from Geneva subsequently, expressing'the hope that Britain's attitude would not lose her a good friend in Italy. He received no less attention, and was personally eulogised to an unusual degree, when he addressed the House of Commons on October 22, outlining Britain's firm determination to punish the aggressor impartially and to stand firm by her decisions and by the Covenant. Again, at the Lord Mayor's banquet in the Guildhall on November 9, he attracted world-wide attention by another reassuring statement. In these addresses ,he guided European thought into a vein, of confidence in British impartiality and sanity in times of crisis. Then came his completely effective destruction of this invaluable fabric by sponsoring with M. Laval the peace proposals which have created such a furore. These terms amounted to offering the aggressor—ltaly—large slices of Abyssinian territory and other advantages. The Emperor of Abyssinia rejected them completely, but apparently M. Laval and Sir. Samuel Hoare expected to sway the League to accept them and induce Abyssinia to give way. The proposals were stated quite definitely to have been composed as a final resort before oil sanctions were imposed on Italy, since it was thought these would start a European war. Sir Samuel, son of a banker baronet, Was a double "Blue" at Oxford, and was first elected M.P. as Conservative for Chelsea in 1910. He strongly advocated social reform, and early studied foreign policy. Rheumatic fever kept him out of the Army, but his linguistic ability served him well when he was appointed military intelligence officer in Russia. During the revolution in 1917 he was the best-inforiped foreigner in Petro-n-rad. He then went to Italy, since he spoke that language, and was present during the Caporetto disaster and recovery. Returning to the Commons, he worked for an Irish settlement. In 1924 he accepted Cabinet office as Aii Minister. He completely reorganised the Air Force, and developed civil aviation extensively, travelling as the fiist passenger in the air mail service to India when it was started in 1929.. He made numerous flights in connection with his office. He published in 1930 "The Fourth Seal," a fascinating revelation of affairs during the last days of the Romanoff rule in Russia, disclosing many secrets of the revolution. When aged 45, Sir Samuel learnt to skate, and practised this art so assiduously'that he was elected president of one of Europe's most famous skating clubs. He has also played in tennis championships. Only a few days ago it was'announced that he had injured himself in a fall at a London skating rink.