'DOUBLE CROSSING.'

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 192, 16 August 1939, Page 11

'DOUBLE CROSSING.'

LABOUR ALLEGATION.

BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY.

JAPAN IN THE PACIFIC. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Another attack on the foreign policy of Great Britain was made in the House of Representatives last night by Mr. R. McKeen (Government, Wellington Souths, whose previous speech in the Address-in-Reply debate was a prelude to a full dress discussion by Doth sides of the House on Britain's policy of

appeasement.

"The reason we are spending so much on defence in New Zealand is due to British foreign policy, which has strengthened the power of Japan," he said. Japan wa* the nearest aggressor nation to countries bordering :>n the Pacific and was responsible for the feverish defence activities in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. He wondered what would be the result of the present negotiations betweeif Britain and Japan. The agreement reached ten days ago was hailed by the totalitarian States as a victorv for

Japan. The United States Government was feeling sore at this transaction and immediately notified Japan of itsxwithdrawal from the trade agreement, which was tantamount to the imposition of sanctions against Japan.

Britain, he said, had carried out a double-crossing policy in the Far East. It gave £5.000,000 to China, but at the same time it sent munitions and finance to Japan.

"It is a question as to how far the democracies can go while a policy like that is being carried out," he t*aid.

"Many of those who are guiding the foreign policy of Britain are in

sympathy with Fascists and support Germany where th.ey have interests. There is documented evidence to that effect."

Mr. McKeen said New Zealand should take a keen interest in the foreign policy of Britain and see that it was not directed in a way that would make our position more onerous than at present. The fact that Japan had fortified her mandated island* in the Pacific brought her much closer to New Zealand. Britain had found that she had burned her fingers in the Far East and she would now like the United States to help her pull the chestnuts out of the fire.

Mr. McKeen said, that some people were alarmed that a sum of £5.400.000 was to be spent 011 defence of this country this year, but in the filial analysis it was not a large sum after all for many years before 1!)3.>, little attention had been paid to defence by previous Governments. who took it for granted that New Zealand could depend 011 Britain for the defence of the Pacific.