THE SECURITY PACT.

Hokitika Guardian, 27 June 1925, Page 3

THE SECURITY PACT.

latest cable news

[Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.]

.MU CHAMBERLAIN’S STATEMENT

LONDON, June 25

In opening the Security Pact debate on the Foreign Office estimates. Mr Austen Chamberlain (Foreign Secretarv) emphasised that the policy outlined' in the White I’aper respecting the proposed pact was the policy of a united Cabinet. The Government desired the policy which they pursued m matters of such consequence to Britain. the Empire and the world, to be the'policy of all parties and the whole nation. They were endeavouring to conduct foreign policy in the spirit of the Premier’s declaration that the Government’s one object shall he stability and continuity. All parties had only one object, namely, to secure peace, and make war impossible, or at least 'as remote a danger as possible. No unilateral act of the Allies against Germany could he contemplated by the British Government. He emphasised that no treaty or draft treaty existed, hut merely a preliminary statement of what the different countries felt it would he possible for them to undertake* and on what direction they thought they could make an advance. Our new obligation would he definitely limited to tire frontier between Germany on the one side and France and Belgium on the other, and oar guarantee of that frontier could not ho invoked by a wrongdoer to shield him for his wrong doing. Oar guarantee became effective only if in defiance of treaties and obligations under the League Covenant, a wrongdoer resorted to force. The guarantee then been me immediately effective. II one of the parties refused to arbitrate, otto carry oat an arbitration award, our guarantee could not he invoked to protect him—though il lie did that, and no more, we retained our liberty' subject to our obligations under the Covenant, to decide what action we should take.

He said the abstention of the Britisii Km pi re and Britain, particularly, from European affairs, had never seemed to serve, and never would serve the interests of ponce. No nation could isolate itself to-day. Anything seriously affecting the peace ol Europe must affect every nation, belligerent or not. Our signature to the Covenant ut tho League was incompatible with isolation. Our safety lay. not in seeking impossible isolation, hut in tho prudent use of our influence and power to obtain peace and prevent war. The Government was of tho opinion that it would he impossible for the British Empire, or Britain to undertake any universal extension of the obligations that we have already incurred as members of tlm League and signatories to ies covenant; and, therefore, held that the special needs of the moment must he met by* special arrangements ol a purely defensive character, trained in the spirit of the covenant and working in close harmony with the League, and under its guidance.

Ml* Chamberlain, replying to the debate, mentioned that the association of Italy with the western Pact guarantee would he welcomed. Britain was prepared to join the other great Bowers in any conference for a further limitation of armaments. Tim initiative in regard to naval matters might better come from the Knifed States, whereto we owed the first dcrisi\c international act of disarmament tlm world had seen. The Bowers with larger armies, il assured ol security, would probably take the initiative by making spontaneous proposals for a reduction in the land armaments they had hitherto considered necessary for safety. The Dominions were kept fully informed of all the proceedings by the British Government, and except for New Zealand, which had expressed complete confidence in the British Government, with which it was content to leave the decision, the Dominions had not yet declared themselves, hut no Dominion could he committed except by its own Government, acting with the support of its own Parliament. .Mr Chamberlain stressed the fact that the Bowers entered the Pact as equals. There was no member signing the agreement who undertook obligations on one side, which, in altered circumstances, did not apply equally to the other set. It was, in essence, not an alliance of one set of nations against the other set, hut a mutual guarantee of pacific intentions. Tho Pact gave no right to any Power to go through the territory of any other Power to the assistance of a third. The right to march across a neighhour’s territory to the assistance of n wronged nation was embodied in the League of Nation’s Covenant. It would only he when the League exhausted methods of conciliation that the question of this right arose. “ DAILY EXPRESS ” COMMENT. LONDON, June 25. The “ Daily Express ” in an editorial on Air Chamberlain's speech says it reveals the marked fact that the , Dominions will he allowed to contract out of the pact. With or without the co-operation of the Dominions the Government is to put Britain’s signature to the treaty of death. Air Chamberlain is the first Foreign Secretsrv to admit dinlomntic disunity as a principle in the Imperial policy. ITe will go advisedly into Europe though he knows the Empire never will. His view is that though France and Britain may he involved in war with Germany or Germany and Britain involved in war with France, neither Canada. Australia, Lidia, New Zealand nor South Africa will he at war with nny. It is only nonessnrv to state the position to see the inherent ahsurditv of Mr Chamberlain s miliev triumphs. The Empire as a political, constitutional end military entity will come theoretically to an end.