The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News, The Echo and The Sun. TUESDAY, JULY 11, 3939. BRITAIN AND DANZIG.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 161, 11 July 1939, Page 8

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

TUESDAY, JULY 11, 3939. BRITAIN AND DANZIG.

/''or the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that veeds resistance, For the future in 'he distance, And the good that ice can do.

Mr. Chamberlain's to the Commons on (he Danzig question is doubly interest injj in tlic liulit of recent suggestion.-; from London that, despite the strong declarations of its loaders, the British Government is weakening in its resolve to stand by Poland. It would be difficult to find anything in (lie Prime Minister's statement to support that suggestion. Not only did he reiterate, with emphasis, the (iovernincnt's intention to fulfil its gunrnntee to Poland, bill lie argued, most impressively, [he merits of Poland's ease in relation to Danzig. Jlγ advocated, in effect, the continuance of the present system of adininislration, on Ihc ground that "though it may be capable of improvement it- cannot in itself be regarded as basically unjust or illogical." He might perhaps have added, but. for his preference for uiuler-statement, that the Danzig question will or will not become critical for Europe if Herr Hitler wants, or does fiot, want, to make it so.

Until Inst March, Mr. Chamberlain pointed out, (iermnny did not seem to feel that the Danzig question was cither serious or urgently in nr«d of. settlement. What happened in March? The (lernuins, ignoring their vaunted racial principles, established a protectorate over Czechoslovakia. The Poles, rightly or wrongly, felt themselves in danger of being the next victims of aggression, and they accepted a guarantee from Britain and France. Ilerr Hitler then denounced the non-aggi-cssiun treaty between Germany and Poland. It was hard then to avoid the conclusion —which is strengthened by a consideration of the chronological order of events presented by Mr. Chamberlain—that Germany's aim had been to deal with Poland alone, and that her design was thwarted by the guarantee. Since then there has been the intense campaign within Germany to persuade the Germans that they arc being "encircled." Mr. Chamberlain's speech is obviously designed to counter that propaganda, which has probably gone too fur to be countered. But it will nt least serve the important purpose of convincing other peoples that the "circle" comes into existence only it Germany attempts to impose, by force or threat of force, her own settlement of the Danzig problem.