EX-ENEMY PROPERTY

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 November 1929, Page 7

EX-ENEMY PROPERTY

DEBATE IN THE LORDS. (By Cable—Press Assn.—Copyright.) LONDON, November 28. In the Lords, Lord Buckmaster in a heated speech again directed attention to the confiscation of ex-enemy subjects’ property. He said: “I have tried to see this thing from every viewpoint, which is not reflecting deep, indelible disgrace on this country. If we attack a whole nation, the latter can defend itself, but we have selected a few people, whose only crime was that they belonged to the conquered race, and we stripped them as bare of their property as the Bolsheviks did Russia.” Lord Parmoor said\ that doubtless there had been hard cases, but Lord Buckmaster had grossly exaggerated the seriousness of the position, and had used language that was bound to create Angl.o-German friction; Mr 1 Snowden had most clearly explained why these . claims could not be reopened. ’' i . Lord Bansbury said that, for the first time in his life time, he believed that a. Socialist Government had done the right thing. Lord Darling said that the Government had nowise broken its contract. Mr Snowden had put the legal position in an unassailable way. The Government might be generous, as well as just, in the hard cases. Lord Buckmaster said that he was v amazed at the change in Lord Parmoor’s tone on this subject since he was in opposition. Lord Buckmaster added: “My words may be uncomfortable, but they at least are unalterable!” The discussion then ended.