NOT “VIRTUALLY DEAD.”

Horowhenua Chronicle, 4 March 1937, Page 7

NOT “VIRTUALLY DEAD.”

BRITAIN WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT LEAGUE. (By Telegraph-Press Assn.-Copyright) (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, March 2. A statement on foreign affairs was made by the Rt. Hon. Anthony Eden in the House of Commons debate on the Foreign Office vote. The Foreign Secretary said that the British Government had taken initiative after initiative in favour of the Spanish non-intervention policy. They could justly claim that it was the right policy and would persist in it. The Foreign Secretary defended the League of Nations against those who described it as virtually dead.. The solution of the Alexandretta dispute was a success which was owed in largemeasure to the admirable work of the Council’s rapporteur, the Swedish Foreign Minister., / “I am sorry,” said Mr. Eden, “that I can give no similar happy account of the progress of negotiations for a newwestern'agreement. ” Now that the Spanish danger was less, they had to make another effort to achieve progress and he did not despair of getting the nations concerned around a table on that issue. • • '

The fact that Mr. Eden devoted practically the whole of his speech to underlining his approval of the recent statements by Lord Halifax and Mr. Neville Chamberlain confirmed the widespread belief that Britain’s foreign policy, for a considerable time, will be restricted to rearming without any diplomatic initiative abroad. His references to the divergence of Empire views on the reform of the League foreshadow important discussions at the Imperial Conference in an attempt to evolve a common policy for reform of the Covenant.