COLONIALISM ISSUE Britain Replies To Soviet Charges

Press, Volume C, Issue 29674, 18 November 1961, Page 11

COLONIALISM ISSUE Britain Replies To Soviet Charges

(NXPA.-Reater—Copyripht) NEW YORK, November 16. Britain today answered Soviet charges of “abuse” and “calumny” over her colonial policies. She urged the United Nations General Assembly to “remember the plight of those who are denied freedom on the Continent of Europe at least as much as anywhere else.” The British Minister of State, Mr Joseph Godber, said that Soviet charges were “as false as they are sweeping.” They represented a “deliberate and disgraceful travesty of the facts.”

Mr Godber said: “As we listened to the representative of the Soviet Union, it became increasingly clear that he is not interested in the facts of the situation. Nor is he interested in the welfare of the peoples concerned. “His interest is to attack the administering authorities as an exercise in the cold war.” Mr Godber answered Soviet charges of “neo-col-onialism,*' saying that no Commonwealth or other country engaged in associa-

tion with Britain for the furtherance of its economic development had been prevented from establishing its independent national economy. Soviet Growth The "Soviet empire” had, since 1939. incorporated territoiries with a total area of 200,900 square miles, and a population of 22,400,000. "In addition, by using its armed forces directly or as a threat, it has imposed regimes of Its choice in seven other countries with a total population of over 90 million. “No country, or union republic, within the Soviet bloc has been allowed to negotiate its independence on amicable terms, as has been the case with so many of our former colonial territories,” he said. Mr Godber said the Soviet delegate, Mr S. G. Lapin, had called for independence for New Guinea. Nauru and various Pacific islands. "It is' perhaps pertinent to ask when independence is to be granted to the Kuriles . . . the islands which were part of the price extracted by the Soviet Union for its nine-day participation in the war against Japan.” He added: “The islands are jealously guarded, and even Japanese fishermen on their lawful occasions who stray within the territorial waters' Limit, unilaterally imposed by the Soviet Union, are thrown into prison and their vessels are in many cases seized or destroyed.”

The Soviet Union had established important military bases in these strategically situated islands. But Soviet speakers displayed “a curious ambilance” on the subject, he said.

Mr Lapin Mid he could understand the British delegate's irritation, for it was not easy to represent a colonial power, and defend its policies. Denying Mr Godber's charges against the Soviet "empire." Mr Lapin said the Soviet Union was a "free union of republics united by friendship, solidarity and the interests of their peoples." Mr Lapin denied that the Soviet Union had any military bases on overseas territories. He described Mr Godber's speech as "another attempt to divert the Assembly from the colonial problem."

Migrant Gain Drops (NZP.A.-Rnttr—Copyright) CANBERRA. Nov. 17. During the third quarter of 1961 only 1406 more British migrants arrived in Australia than left for their homeland, the acting Commonwealth Statistician (Mr S. Archer) announced today. The excess of arrivals over departures for Italians was 4641—the largest of any national group. Tbe net population gain during the quarter was the lowest tor eight years. The relatively slow inward movement was seen by officials today as largely attributable to the Australian Government’s action in stemming the unskilled migrant intake last July. This in turn was the result of the shortage in employment after tbe introduction of credit restrictions—since lifted—one year ago.