A DANGER

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1939, Page 5

A DANGER

MR S. M. BRUCE SPEECH ON WORLD SITUATION (Australian Press Association). SYDNEY, January 25. Addressing the Millions Club, after a civic reception, the Australian High Commissioner (Mr S. M. Bruce) said it was difficult not to sympathise with the point of view of those who would substitute for a policy of appeasement a policy which would outlaw the dictators, having regard to aggressrons, brutalities, and defiance pf treaties by certain Powers. Acceptance of this view, however, would mean the consolidation of the German people behind their dictator and the cementing of the Anti-Comintern Pact among Germany, Italy and Japan into a formal military alliance, which was likely to culminate in another world war. Mr Bruce added that it must be conceded that even the dictators had set out to ensure the economic and social welfare of • their people, just as the democracies had, and it could not be denied that they bad achieved a great deal in recent years, but their standards of living were now decreasing, because of heavy, expenditures on armaments.

Thus, when it became apparent that dictatorships could no longer be at-, tained by force, the way would be open for the improveriient of the world position. Armed strength by the democracies would constitute a real, instrument for the promotion of policies of political and 'economic appeasement and progressive disarmament.

The other fact that must clearly be recognised was that every country was entitled to determine its own form of internal government, and it was the duty of the British Empire pire and the other democracies to live side by side with the Nazism of Germany, the Fascism of Italy, and the Communism of Russia.