LIBERAL CRITICISM

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 146, 23 June 1938, Page 9

LIBERAL CRITICISM

FOREIGN POLICY ATTITUDE IN SPAIN — F COMMONS DEBATE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, June 22. Replying in the House of Commons to the speech by the "Prime Minister on foreign affairs in which he dealt with the bombing of British ships in Spain, Sir Archibald Sinclair, the Liberal Leader, said he thought that Mr. Chamberlains w speech was an invitation to Franco Y to maintain and intensify the air f r blockade of the ports in. Government J, Spain by the bombing of peaceful H shipping. S The only reason, he averred, why J' Britain had sunk so low~as meekly to tc suffer such insults was because Mr. p Chamberlain's fortunes were politically bound up with the Anglo-Italian Agreement, and he asked for informa- . tion regarding rumours -in the newspapers that Signor Mussolini had asked the British Government to bring the 0 agreement into operation in advance d of the fulfilment of the condition of a general settlement in Spam, bir 6 Archibald desired to know what had been the Government's reply. ARTICLES IN CANADA AND U.S.A. He went on to refer to a series of articles which had appeared in a number of United States and Canadian newspapers four or five weeks ago purporting to give official British views on a number of recent questions of foreign policy. He argued that,in view of the presumption which had been created that the views expressed in these articles had been inspired, it was important that their contents should be denied by Mr. Chamberlain, and he expressed regret at the latter s refusal either to confirm or deny them. Mr. Chamberlain intervened: "I must i protest against any assumption that, i because I did not deny an interview, I therefore I am admitting it. I made it t perfectly clear that, if I were once \ to begin admitting or denying any < gossip which may go round as an 1 authentic or as an alleged interview, r then, whenever I Tefuse to give an s assurance one way or the other, it < would be taken as evidence against me. < That is the reason why it is .impos- 1 sible for me to say that .1 will either < 1 admit or deny the truth of this story. ( Several Government supporters f 1 who spoke subsequently' expressed re- ; sentment at Sir Archibald Sinclair s ■ speech, and Commander Sir Archibald J Southby (Conservative) declared that i " the policy Mr." Chamberlain was pur- J ' suing had won approval from the i ' whole world. ' ' j Mr. Arthur Henderson (Labour) re- < f erred to the persecution of Jews in • i parts of Europe as a result of a policy i of .racial discrimination and spoke of 3 excesses which, he said, had shocked ■ " the whole of civilisation, He asked the Government to take an active and ! \ helpful part in the forthcoming con- \ \ -ferehce at Evian,- Prance, to discuss t the problem of refugees. WRONG COURSE ALLEGED. ' Mr. Lloyd George (Independent Lib- " eral), in a vigorous speech, attacked " the Government's attitude to the bomb--1 ing of British ships. British shipping, " he said, was the greatest in the world, ? and it had always been protected * against attack until now. He argued I that the incapacity of the Government to find means for continuing that protection originated in the Prime Minister's rejection of Mr. Eden's advice that the situation in Spain should be cleared before the opening of the Anglo-Italian conversations. Mr. Chamberlain's aim of peace was a noble one, and perseverance in it was commendable, but if, in pursuit of that wide aim, he had taken the wrong course, it was,sheer obstinacy not to admit it. ■ Brigadier-General Sir Henry Page Croft ' (Conservative) thought the Prime Minister's policy, introduced a glimmering hope of preserving world peace, and considered Mr. Lloyd l " George's and other Opposition speeches s a disservice to the cause of peace. 0 Mr. David Grenfell (Labour)) wound p up for the Labour Party and described * non-intervention as a farce. NON-INTERVENTION PROGRESS. ,f Mr. R. A. Butler, Under-Secretary of ie State for Foreign Affairs, replying for te the Government, said he was glad to r- be able to tell the House of the very « distinct progress which had been made st at .today's meeting of the Non-Inter--1 vention Committee. The agreement i which had been reached on the main 1 provision of the British plan meant i that they had got a long way nearer I to putting the plan into practice. In II the near future it would be possible §1 to submit the plan to the contending If parties in Spain, and as soon as their !; acceptance had been notified it would 1 be possible to put the plan into opera?l: tion. Turning to Mr. Lloyd George's re--1 marks about attacks on British ships, I Mr. Butler suggested that no substanII tial part of the public would be preII pared to stand by Mr. Lloyd George, li: and claimed that the by-election reII suit at Stafford was proof of this. The II real issue was: were they prepared to It join in the war to protect British shipH ping? The Government was-not. ■ Mr. Butler mentioned that he hoped B to announce tomorrow the British dele- ■ gation to the conference at Evian on ■ the refugee question. I A Labour motion to reduce the 'For- ■ eign Office vote was defeated by 278 H votes to 148.

REFUGEE CONFER- y ENC'E ' • ■ BRITISH REPRESENTATIVES (British Official WJreless.) (Received June 23, 10.40 a.m.) RUGBY, June 22. Britain will be represented at the Evian fftfugee conference by Lord Winterton and Sir Charles Palairet, until recently British Minister at Vienna. AUSTRALIA TO ATTEND (Received June 23, 11.40 a.m.) LONDON, June 22. The Australian Associated Press learns that Australia will be the only Dominion attending the international conference at Evian on July 6, initiated by the United States, in connection! with the absorption of German and Austrian refugees. All the Dominions were invited, buUthe others declined. LONDON MANSION GUARDED » (Received June 23, 9.40 a.m.) LONDON, June 22. Scotland Yard has posted guards at the Regents Park mansion of Count 'and Countess Haugwitz Reventlow as a result of threats to kidnap.tlitir two-year-old son and heir. The Countess was formerly' Miss Barbara Hutton, the Woolworth heiress.