PRIME MINISTER ON SANCTIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 156, 3 July 1936, Page 8

PRIME MINISTER ON SANCTIONS.

N.Z.'S ATTITUDE. "WITH NO ANIMOSITY." RELATIONS WITH ITALY. SEPTEMBER LEAGUE MEETING (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary . Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Commenting to-day on the statement made at Geneva by Sir James Parr, as the representative of New Zealand, the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage, stated that the Government had for some time been giving lengthy and, anxious consideration to the international situation, and particularly to its attitude in respect to sanctions that should be adopted by this Dominion. At a meeting of the Assembly, the Government's policy, as now publicly announced at Geneva and as previously communicated to representatives of all British Governments, is as follows, he said:— "We maintain our belief that the collective system of supporting and enforcing the peace of the world offers the best, if not the only, means of preventing war, and we are determined to continue our firm support of the principles accepted by New Zealand when this Dominion signed the Covenant of the League, unless and until the Covenant is effectively replaced. "Applying this policy to the ItaloAbyssinian problem, the New Zealand Government was forced to the conclusion that, even at this stage, it would be wrong in principle and unwise in fact to abandon sanctions. On the contrary, we felt that sanctions should be strengthened," continued Mr. Savage. "We were 1 prepared to agree to this course, at the Assembly, if such a policy was generally accepted by members of the League, and the New Zealand representative at the Assembly was informed accordingly. 'n # Dominion's Desire. "Sir James Parr was at the same time instructed that- this policy was based on no animosity towards Italy, with whom this Dominion desired to see a resumption of the previously existing friendly relations at the earliest possible moment, but that we were convinced that international relations must be based upon the primary principle of the sanctity of the undertakings voluntarily accepted. The New Zealand Government recognised, however, that this Dominion, remotely situated as it is, would be unlikely to share to any considerable extent either in the dangers or in the loss of trade that would be involved in maintaining, sanctions, and we felt, therefore, that we could not properly complain if other members of the League more directly affected were unable or unwilling to continue the policy of sanctions." "Futile and Improper." "The members of the League have, in fact, proved to be generally to continuation of sanctions, and in view of this fact the New Zealand Government decided, having regard to the consideration set out in the preceding paragraph, that it "would be not only futile but improper for New Zealand either to vote against the removal of sanctions or to abstain from voting. The New Zealand representative_ was accordingly instructed in these circumstances to" vote for the removal of sanctions after having carefully explained the reasons for this vote as outlined above, but at the same time to announce that New Zealand's concurrence was dependent upon a full and careful reconsideration at the September Assembly of the League of the whole Geneva peace structure. This, it appears, is the ceneral desire, and we feel that all the nations of the world, whether members of the League or not, should be invited to take part in this inquiry. No Postponement. "In connection with Press reports that proposals had been made for the postponement of the September meeting, Sir James Parr has been instructed to" call attention to our view that the avoidance or postponement of difficult decisions has been one of the League's weaknesses in the past, that the questions to be considered in September, though difficult, are clear, that New Zealand would strongly oppose any lengthy or indefinite postponement, and would oppose any postponement at all unless for obviously adequate reasons. The Government attaches the utmost importance to the meeting of the League in September, the decisions of which may well be fateful to the peoples of the world as a whole and, in a little less degree, to the people of New Zealand in particular. New Zealand Representatives. "For this reason and in view of New Zealand's candidature for a seat on the Council of the League a special effort is being made to arrange that this Dominion should be represented as strongly as possible in September, and that, if New Zealand should be elected to the Council, all proper preparations are made for the work and the responsibility involved. The Dominion will, accordingly, be represented at the September Assembly by the High Commis-sioner-elect, Mr. W. J. Jordan, and by Sir James Parr, as delegates, and by Mr. C. A. Berendsen (permanent head of the Prime Minister's Department and secretary for External Affairs) and Dr. R. M. Campbell (economic adviser in London),* as substitute delegates, assisted by an adequate staff. . "Mr. Jordan and Mr. Berendsen will leave for London on July 21.