WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1939. AND RUSSIA, TOO?

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 80, 5 April 1939, Page 10

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1939. AND RUSSIA, TOO?

I W >' h (lie eollap.-c iii' liis "appea-en.e;,/' p'diey Mi". Chamberlain -cents in have been l'"i'fi'i| h.-K-k upon the alternative of ! or-aili-ili:.: ;l lon.M' alliance of Slates v/hich j i' ' ■i ,, iin'ii peace ;uni independence. Ii is ]■■"• -ili'c I'"! , !i i ill In li.-i Vi- [ic;|i-(> without i iii'l« pcinlciirc— 11, it Mil icr ifiTi-r-. tlii'iit I llial!— : !!ii even llic liui-l powerful of 'hem I1"W leel- lllill ii cailllol. lliiVl' both, UllloS ii combine- Willi other.-. JSo tin , I'l'i'.ish '<'i \ ■ (■! • 111111 ■>si :- ii i\\ apparent ly endea vounnu i to li'ml Imw niiiiiy Stiller arc wiliiiiu' tn take I tin , n.-k ill' ilclviiv;- Germany by tMii criiij-C j lulu ;iii alhiinci' with Britain, ami France, with the common purpose nl ensuring thcii , own .-eciiri ly. This hears a iv-cmhlnnce to : the League policy ol' " col led i ve- security," ■ hiu. it differs from i hat in important. ; re-pects. The Leaune, in concept iol , was i an organisation not only lo preserve peace, hul peacefully lo hriu.: , abutit adju.-tmenU that Woulil remove the caii-.es (il' war. It- bans was ilemocr.icy. This new uronpinu , of nainm- is <ie-imied lirst. ami I'orcino.-t- a< a counter to Ihe μ-rown I ami μ-rowinu , -treii.ulh nl! Germany ami of tin , a.\N. Fundamentally its purpo-e is to i pre-er\'e the .status (|iu> of ihe nalions I wilhin ils .-enpe. Ami it has no nece-^ary connection with (U'liioei'acy. To date, it appears that ihe only member of the uroup, other than Britain and France, i- Poland, tn which the other two have μ-ivcn a onesided eommitineiit. The (>ppo-.it ion, and perhaps the (lovernuient, wi.-h to in Soviet Ku--ia, but there is a Mi.yjru.-tinil, likely to be well-founded, I hat Poland, l)('in»' .~u.~piciou- of Jiu--ia a- of (iermaiiy, will have none of it. There is mention jilso of Jtuinania, Turkey and Greece. It. will be a difficult μ-rotip to manage. Xor should it be overlooked thai if Germany should now decide to μ-ain her ends by penetrative and disruptive tactics, she will not lack material to work tin. Next to the former Czechoslovakia, the country with the highest percentage of minorities is Poland; the one with the next- highest is Kuniania. There are over one million Germans in Pohliid, and over 701),1)00 in Kiimiinia. It may be true that Poland would fiercely resist a German attack-, but her capacity to sustain resistance would be weakened by her internal condition. She niiulit, in the event of a war, prove more a liability than an asset. Then what of Rus.Ma? If she joined the μ-rouj) she would strengthen il μ-really in a ijiiarler where .Britain and France cannot μ-ive it much aid directly. Jvu-.-ia miulit, if Poland resisted Germany, μ-o to her aid. If Britain and France likewise honoured their undertaking, they would have Itussia on their side. What then? In Mich circumstances would not Japan's .-elfinteresf, as well as her membership of th-.i anti-Comintern pact, impel her to join Germany ag'ninst Russia —and against Britain, too? This is a possibility, even a probability, which vitally affects Australia and New Zealand. Poland is far away, and it may seem to many here that the grouping , of Powers around her does not touch us closely. Jl! Russia enters the μ-rouj) —and opinion in the House of! Commons seems to be in favour of inducing her (<> do so —the I interests of the Pacilic Dominions will be closely involved. If they are not already -o, the Governmenls of Au-tra!ia and New Zealand should be ]>res.-incr (his point of view before Mr. Chamberlain. They cannol pretend to know the complexifies of Ihe European situation as well as the JBriti.-li Government knows them, but they mi-lit to know where our own interests lie, find how I '"'■>■ may he daiua-ed in the cm r>o "I negotiations in which the 3riti-.li Government, perhaps inevitably, seems to / have, a pronounced '• Huropean " bias. )