END TO SANCTIONS

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 140, 15 June 1936, Page 9

END TO SANCTIONS

PRESS SPECULATION

CHANCELLOR'S SUGGESTIONS

LIKELIHOOD OF DEBATE

Ufticial Wireless. J (Received June 15, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, June 13. Newspapers give considerable prominence to discussion aroused by the speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer at a political dinner on Wednesday evening, after which the Prime Minister explained in the House of Commons that he had put forward suggestions with regard to the ending of League sanctions which were "provisional reflections on the Italo-Ethio-pian dispute which had occurred to him (Mr. Chamberlain) personally."

Despite Mr. Baldwin's additional comment that the Government had as yet reached no conclusions on the matters discussed by Mr. Chamberlain in what was practically an impromptu address to an "exclusive and politically educated audience," there is vigorous speculation in the Press as to the relations of the Chancellor's observations to the policy of the British delegation at Geneva when the Council meets on June 26, writers tending to anticipate the Government's decision according to their individual hopes or fears.

| A number of questions will be addressed to the Foreign Secretary in |the House of Commons on Monday arising out of the Chancellor's reported remarks, and in Parliamentary circles there is a growing feeling that it will be found convenient to have an early debate in the House of Commons on foreign affairs. Journalists in touch with the state of Parliamentary business mostly fix on June 22 as a likely date for a debate, but others anticipate an earlier date. yr. Chamberlain's speech last Wednesday was criticised by the Leader of the Opposition, Major Attlee, speaking at Oxford last night, and also by Lord Davies, addressing a demonstration in South Wales.

Condemning the policy of continuing sanctions, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking at a dinner of the 1900 Club, declared that it would only lead to further misfortunes. Referring to Viscount Cecil's claim that it was* still possible to preserve Abyssinia's independence by pursuing sanctions, Mr. Chamberlain said that that seems to him to be the very midsummer of madness. "It is no use shutting our eyes to realities," he declared. "Sanctions have been tried and failed. lam not blaming anyone for the failure. I merely record it now because if we have retained any vestige of common sense we must admit that we have tried to impose upon the League a task beyond its powers. The nations composing the League must, therefore, decide so to limit the League's functions in future that they may be in accord with its real powers. If that policy were courageously carried through I believe it might go far to restore the League's prestige, although it must be admitted that the League would be so limited that it could no longer be relied upon by itself to secure peace for the world. It is now apparent that a policy of sanctions involves, if not war, at least the risk of war, and that risk must increase in proportion to the effectiveness of sanctions. It is also apparent that in the presence of such a risk nations cannot be relied on to proceed to the extremity of war unless their vital interests are threatened." Mr. Chamberlain suggested exploration of the possibility of localising the world's danger spots with a view to a more practical method of ensuring peace by regional arrangements approved by the League.