PEACE POLICY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 77, 14 March 1935, Page 7

PEACE POLICY

WORDS & GESTURES SUPINE INDIFFERENCE Time for Enlightened View MR. MacDONALD’S APPEAL <By Telejraph—Prew Awn—Copyright.) (Received 14. 10.40 a.m.) LONDON, March ]♦. "Pacifism in Britain was becoming an easy-going state of mind fervidly embracing a uieaning.ess formula of pious fact,’’ says the Rt. Hon. J. Ramsay MacDonald, m an article in the Na.ional Labour organ "The Newsletter.’’ Mr. MacDonald, referring to the White Paper, says: "For some tune 1 was most impressed by the aupine indifference of numbers of our pacifists to the trend of world armaments and by the complacency with which they regard conditions in England. Peace has become a matter of words and vain moral gestures, merely inviting the ag gressor to attack us. Britain has been without a policy. The Government united in issuing the White Paper after many months of most careful consideration. It was essentially a peace document, otherwise I would not have issued it. "I am sure that when the history of recent years comes to be written, the White Paper will be classed as one of the greatest efforts made in critical times to save the cause of peace.’’ Mr. MacDonald says he was greatly concerned at the way in which the peace prospects of Europe were deteriorating and at the virtual standstill reached by the Disarmament Conference. "Some of us who are peacelover* were not satisfied to give voice to well-used and familiar formulae," Mr. MacDonald continues. "We were determined to work to make conditions hard for aggressors and not allow nations who did not appreciate our efforts to assume that our peace lead meant that we had ceased to take n practicable interest in opposing tendencies making for war. "The White Paper makes it clear that while peace is our policy we shall not neglect obvious defence. The paper » issued by the Government after full consideration and a very careful review extending over many months, daring which all aspects have been debated and examined as a contribution to peace. Were it not a peace document I should never have agreed to its issue. Peace is its purpose throughout. "For years we have set an example to the world in disarmament," continues the Prime Minister. "The most elementary necessities in our defence have been neglected. Wo have felt that even to replace a gun might hme been advertised as a departure from our peace and disarmament policy. We have made proposals for international agreements on armaments and have not always waited for their acceptance before doing something to carry them out ourselves. The White Paper does nothing, except in the possible case of the air estimates, to increase our power of offence. "If our moral gestures cannot protect the world from increasing offensive armaments we must take steps to make collective security more than words and protect our civilians against attack. I cannot believe that the great nations are blind to the dangers they run in refusing to come to disarmament conferences and to make agreements which will neither threaten their own nor any other nation's security, conclude* the article.