IN THE COMMONS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 June 1938, Page 5

IN THE COMMONS

TO HUMANISE WAR

PRIME MINISTER’S REPLY.

(Per British Official Wireless.)

(Received this day at 1.30 p.m.) RbGß\ , .) line .16

In the House of Commons, Mr

Arthur Henderson (Labour), asked the Prime Minister (lit. Hon. Neville Chamberlain) whether ho was aware of an offer recently made by Mr Cordell Hull (U.S. Secretary of State) on behalf of;.-the United States? Government, to .join other nations in seeking to humanise, by a common agreement, the rules and practices of warfare, and win ther, with such an object in view, the British Government would announce her ;willingness to forego the practice of police bombing on the north-west frontier of India, and elsewhere.

Mr Chamberlain replied that His Majesty's Gove mint nt was aware of MiHall's observations, and it was always ready to co-operate in seeking an agreement to humanise the rules and practices of warfare.

Answering the last part of the question, lie said that the Government would not allow police bombing to stand in the way of reaching such an agreement. He emphasised that air force bombers were not employed on the north-west irontier or elsewhere for the purpose of attacking the civil population, and oomhing operations were never ri sorted to unless twentyfour hours’ notice nt least had boon given to enable the tribesmen and their families to evacuate the area. Mr Henderson: “Is it not a fact that official spokesmen in Japan and Nationalist Spain and elsewhere, arc using this practice of police bombing in order to noutraJi.se the moral effect ot tlie protest the British Government is making regarding the bombing of civilian populations ?’*’ Mr Chamberlain: “Yes. Tint is the reason why I am taking such pains to state the exact conditions under which bombing may take place on the northwest frontier.”

TRADE TALKS REFERENCES

LONDON, June 15

Numerous references to the Dominions’ connexion with the United States agreement- and”’ Pacific shipping wore .made in the House of Commons during a debate oil trade. Sir Percy Harris, referring to Pacific shipping,' said there was a real danger of the . trade between America, New’ Zealand, and Ausralia going entirely. . front, British hands, tie 'suggested,-, .that the Secretary of State for the Dominions (Lord Stanley) in the negotiations with America should urge that the trade agreement include some provision for dealing with the problem. Sir Percy Harris, dealing with the possibility of a , British-American agreement, declared that the agreement between America and Canada provided an answer to criticism that an agreement was difficult with America without sacrificing the interests ot New Zealand, Australia. Canada, and South Africa. He emphasised that New Zealand and Australia were finding it difficult to obtain a sufficient market in the British Isles for their great production of wool, meat, and butter.

He suggested that the British representatives at present in t he United States should not be hampered by feeling that they might injure the inteiests of the Dominions.

Mr Oliver Stanley. .President of the Board of Trade, in closing the debate, admitted that the trade negotiations wit!) America were long and slow, but the subjects under discussion had been difficult and intricate, and it was essential tlmt the agreement should lie fair on both sides. Dealing with .economic appeasement ho declared- that tlm tariff system had come to stay.