Mr Menzies Makes London Listen

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 110, 12 May 1939, Page 7

Mr Menzies Makes London Listen

Views of European Whys and Wherefores SPEECH IN HOUSE (British Official Wireless.) Received Thursday, 6.20 p.m. RUGBY, May 10. Considerable interest was shown in London in reports of the speech of the Australian Prime Minister, Rt. Hou. R. G. Menzies, in a debate on foreign affairs in the House of Representatives at Canberra yesterday. Mr. Menzies spoke of the magnificent example of forbearance set by Great Britain in the last two years in dealing with European affairs. An endeavour had been made to understand and show patience, but unfortunately the display of patience and goodwill had not secured the response it should have. Mf. Menzies’ interpretation of the policy now being pursued by Great Britain has special interest, because it is at once authoritative, owing to the arrangement by which the Dominion Governments aro kept fully and continuously informed by Whitehall, and detached, owing both to tho constitutional position of members of the Commonwealth and Australia’s remoteness from events in Europe. Mr. Menzies emphasised that the basis of British policy was that if grievances were to be examined it should not be at the point of the sword but at a conference table. There were, he said, no grievances or claims which democratic countries were not prepared to examiuo without prejudice. If the dictatorships refused to confer, then if war came, in Mr. Menzies’ opinion, the whole world would know by whose aggression it had come.