The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1937. LABOUR'S FOREIGN POLICY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 236, 5 October 1937, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1937. LABOUR'S FOREIGN POLICY.

jPor l/k« cause ifcat ceofce aeaUtanet, For the wrong that need* reeietmnee, for the future in the dietznce, And the good that we etm ic

The moat notable feature of the presidential address at the conference of the British Labour Party was Dr. Dalton's statement that "in this grim situation Britain must be powerfully armed, otherwise a Labour I , arty coming into power to-morrow would be in danger of humiliation and intimidation." The Labour Party has not always seen so clearly the wisdom of Britain's rearmament programme; on the contrary, if the Opposition's votes could have prevented it that programme would not have been launched. But the belated admission by a Labour leader that Britain in the present international tircumstances must be powerfully armed is not without value, for it is an indication that in the unlikely event of the Labour Party's winning power at the next general election other nations need not anticipate that the new Government would be amenable to demands backed by force. On the contrary, it seems from Dr. Dalton's remarks a Labour Government would be likely to lead the nation into situations in which war would be inevitable.

The British Government's policy, iu the Labour view, has resulted in "successive surrenders." That ie a popular line with critics of the National Government They say the Government "surrendered" to Japan over Manchuria and to Italy over Abyssinia, and that it is "surrendering" to Germany and

Italy over Spain, and to Japan over China. But what would the Labour Party have done? When it became plain, during the Abyssinian

affair, that the imposition of the oil sanction would be treated by Italy as an act of war, it would —or so, not having the responsibility, it says—have invited Italy to carry out her threat. If she had done so, a general war would have resulted, and who would be any better off to-day f The immediate occasion of the war—the attack on Abyssinia—would soon have been forgotten. Abyssinia might, or might not, have survived under .the rule of the Emperor, but practically every European country would have been devastated. Was the integrity of Abyssinia worth that price f

In denouncing and deploring the increasingly frequent flouting of treaties and of international law the Labour Party is, of course, not singular. But what can be done to prevent it.t The party would use the British Navy, Army and Air Force as "a contribution to an organised system of collective security." What other nations would join with Britain in organising that system f Would Germany, or Italy, or Japan? All of them might, but only on their own terms, which almost certainly would not be acceptable to Britain. If Germany, Italy and Japan were all "satisfied" Powers, the organisation of a collective security system would not be difficult, but they will not be "satisfied" unless they decide to he satisfied with less than they want now, or the other Powers, and Britain and France in particular, make concessions (o them. The latter course would have more supporters if there existed any confidence that concessions would not be regarded as a sign of weakness.