SHADOW OF CRISIS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 95, 19 October 1938, Page 14

SHADOW OF CRISIS

FACING REALITIES

THE TASK AHEAD

ORGANISING NATION FOR

DEFENCE

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received October 19, 11 a.m.) RUGBY, October 18. The Lord Privy Seal, Earl De La Warr, speaking in London, said that they were still in the shadow of a great crisis. While some people held that the position was past remedy, others took the view that Britain's troubles were over. He believed that both these views were utterly wrong. He believed that the real mind of the nation was quite different and that it followed the lead which Mr. Chamberlain had given and the inspiration of that lead. It had saved this country and the whole world from a war of destruction, but a heavy price had been paid for peace. The price was worth while if we used the period of relief that was given for the construction of real and true foundations of permanent peace. It could only be achieved by the material and nioral re-armament of this country.. t UNITY AND STRENGTH. Such a programme, he thought, might be to promote unity and strength and through such unity and strength to practise a sense of justice between nations and uphold their dealings in the world. A sense' of justice was no less important than strength and unity. It must be made clear to the world that Britain's greater strength would not be used to impose its will but rather to uphold certain standards of international conduct, without which prosperity could not flourish nor peace endure. It must too, be made plain that it could not be used for the exclusive preservation of any privilege Britain might enjoy. They sought freer tradefreer trade as well as fewer political barriers. ' . . Hand in hand with the re-equipment of the nation for defence should go a new effort ■■on a national scale to deal with domestic problems, and foremost among them that of unemployment, the continued existence of which he thought, was a standing reproach to, democracy. DISILLUSIONED MILLIONS. Speaking at the one hundred and twenty-second annual meeting of the International' Peace Society at the Guildhall, Mr. Anthony Eden referred to the disillusionment due to the fact that the day of the establishment of the rule of law in international affairs, for which millions of people the .world over ardently hoped after the last great war, seemed once more to be receding. He declared his faith that the day^vould come again. It was inevitable, "because there can never be true peace under a constant threat.of cannon, nor true happiness where might is the only right." But certain realities had to be faced, including the fact that nations whose internal economy was differently or-] ganised from the British had outdistanced Britain in the arms race. "The taslt which now confronts us in organising the nation for defence, which includes material armaments on a scale not hitherto contemplated— i particularly in the air and anticraft defence —is so formidable as to require the united effort by every section of the community," said Mr. Eden,

Such a national effort to succeed must be based in the broadest sense on national confidence, backed by national approval, and demanded therefore a programme upon which the co-opera-tion of all parties could be secured.