PEACE OF WORLD

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 99, 21 January 1935, Page 9

PEACE OF WORLD

Britain Should Give Lead LLOYD GEORGE’S PLAN Time Ripe for Attempt at General Appeasement (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, January IS. Mr. Lloyd George emerged from his long retirement from active politics to deliver yesterday on his 72nd birthday the opening speech in his “New Deal” campaign. In this he gave the outline of his ideas on national policy and said that he proposed to develop these in his later speeches. He emphasised that he was not out to launch a party campaign, but that his desire was national unity in driving forward an active and comprehensive policy. In reference to the international situation, Mr. Lloyd George said: "Whatever social and economic system you build up, however perfect may be its design and its materials, unless it is based on peace, it will be founded on quicksand and will come crashing to the ground. I rejoice in the settlement of the Saar question and also of the Yugoslav-Hungarian dispute. They were both highly dagnerous. We have every reason to be proud of the part played by Mr. R. A. Eden in removing the complications which had arisen over the deplorable assassination of King Alexander. “I believe the situation is now ripe for another attempt at general appeasement. I believe that with a strong policy, which means a bold, decisive, and firm lead by Great Britain, we can improve the precarious and perilous international situation. We must take a very definite and much stronger line than we have hitherto done in recent years in ensuring the adjustment of questions that threaten peace in the East and West, notably on disarmament and/on the Chinese situation. The world is ready and eager for a settling up of international differences, if Britain gives a clear lead and stands by it. We have no special interest in the racial conflicts; of Europe, That is in our favour. The United States, I feel confident, would co-operate with us in any action on brotherly lines, anl th*: world cannot afford to disregard these two powerful communities. .Pacific and Well as Europe. “That applies not merely to the state of things in Europe, but in the Pacific, which, from the point of view of trade development, is more full of promise and from the standpoint of war more full of menace than even Europe. Fruitful action, especially in the East, involves as the first condition of success a complete understanding with America. I would immediately take stops to reach a common agreement with that great country, and then act together in a combined endeavour to secure the pacification of the world.” In regard to international trade, Mr. Lloyd George said that now Britain had her tariffs he would use them to the full as a means of inducing a removal of or at least a reduction in the difficulties of trading with other countries. Reconstruction At Home. Turning to home problems of reconstruction, and after emphasising that American remedies were not necessarily applicable to Britain, Mr. Lloyd George advocated the estaiblisiiment of a permanent lion-political and independent body to prepare schemes for providing useful and necessary work which the Government could put into action; for example, housing, roads, railways, canals, electricity, and, particularly, land, settlement. Such schemes should be supplemented by a comprehensive industrial reorganisation, including such matters as the raising of the school age, retirement pensions, and shorter hours. He advocated a small Cabinet of Ministers exempt from departmental' preoccupations similar to the former War Cabinet. In regard to finance, he suggested that there should be two Budgets every year, one for current and another for capital expenditure. He believed that a great prosperity loan would be oversubscribed by an enthusiastic public. The Bank of England, he said, should be in closer touch with national industries and commerce, and in a position where it could give independent advice, but he opposed suggestions chat joint stock banks should be nationalised as unnecessary and undesirable (Note on Page 7.) SPEECH EXTOLLED Lord Snowden and Mr. Churchill CHANCELLOR CRITICAL London, January 18. Lord, Snowden has telegraphed congratulating Mr. Lloyd George on a brilliant, successful opening of Bis campaign. Mr. Winston Churchill extols the virility' and sobriety of Mr. Lloyd George’s proposals. He declares that any Government calling itself national should have thought them out for itself. “It is all the more refreshing,”/ he says, “to read a speech in contrast with the recent utterance of the deplor-. able politician who now maunders at the head of the Government.” Brigadier-General Sir Henry Page Croft, on behalf of’the Empire Industries Association, welcomes Mr. Lloyd George’s realism regarding tariffs and trade treaties, especially his appreciation of the danger of a growing adverse trade balance. Referring to the proposals advanced by Mr. Lloyd George, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Neville Chamberlain), at Belfast, said that be found them rather disappointingly lacking in novelty or precision, a British official wireless message states. Nevertheless, when Mr. Lloyd George had completed his exposition of them in his platform campaign, the Government, which was not above taking ideas that promised lielp in solving present-day problems, would examine them with an open mind. Before embodying them in its programme, however, the Government must be satisfied that they would achieve the purpose for which they were designed. In the meantime he urged people not to be depressed by the difficulties still ahead of them. There was no short cut out to prosperity, and Britain had gone forward quicker than any other nation. In a brief reference to the international situation he said that as Chancellor he was interested in

economy, hut it would be false economy to shirk expenditure which had now become overdue owing to the fact that Britain, in proof of her desire to maintain peace, had reduced her defences to a danger point, in the hope that other countries would follow her example. CAMPAIGN CONTINUED Speech at Welsh Town CRITICS RIDICULED (Received January 20, 1'1.16 p.m.) London, January 20. Mr. Llovd George, continuing his campaign at Pwllheli, addressed 2000 farmers and local residents. Speaking in Welsh, lie expressed satisfaction at the response accorded his appeal and deftly ridiculed his critics. He declared that the leaders of the country should specially examine the miseries and despondencies darkening 2,500,000 homes owing to unemployment and then turn to the hundreds of millions of money lying idle in the banks and redress the country’s deficiencies.

Answering a question regarding Douglas Credit, he said he favoured investigation, but did not think any system alone would solve the problems. Ho had always doubted the advisability of juggling with currency.