NEW ATITUDE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 102, 3 May 1933, Page 9

NEW ATITUDE

BRITAIN AND RUSSIA

VARYING VIEWS EXPRESSED

DISCUSSION IN LOKDS

Cniud Pmu AMoelatlon—By Electric X«l»----graph—Copy rlsht (Received May 3, 1.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 2. In the House of Lords, Lord Mount Temple, seeking a statement of Government policy towards the Soviet, welcomed the present change from former "entreaties." .Negotiations backed only by persuasion had been entirely ineffective. "You cannot treat Russia," hp said, "as thefugh she were civilised. Beneath a veneer of civilsation thcro is the Tartar of savagery." There should be no diplomatic relations, ho added, till the Lena Goldfields award was settled and somo payment made towards Russia's 'debts to Britain. Our taxpayer* wero paying forty-five millions annually in interest on account of Russia's ,failure to carry out her obligations. Lord Marley said that no objections had been raised to the recognition of Russia in Tsarist days. The Russian people, now described as savages, had not changed in fifteen years. . Lord Marley added that Mr, Baldwin had pointed out that tho Lena Goldfields capital loss was , £3,500,000. , The. suggestion was that tho award of thirteen millions was hopelessly exaggerated. , " Ttio recent ombargo, ho continued, had robbed Britain of an expanding markot and the trade was going to France, Italy, and Japan. Tho decision would throw sixty thousand men out of work. The Earl of Stanhope said that no statement of policy was possible at present. They had to be careful in their statements, as everyone desired the liberation of Messrs. Thornton nnd Macdonald. Tho Government was drawing attention to tho questions ot debts ana th» Lena award. Mr. Baldwin's reference to three and a half millions was the company?s actual capital loss, not the total ilamagos suffered. He believed that as tho result of the Government's action in the recent case British subjects! resident in Russia were unlikely to be1 molested, but ho rocommendod that others postpone prospective visits, as a further interference .with British subjects would create even more serious relations between Britain and tho Soviet than the recent trial.