SIR AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

Northern Advocate, 26 March 1926, Page 4

SIR AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN

SECOND EDITION

HONOURED BY LONDON. A GREAT OVATION. VITAL PHASES REVIEWED. (Received 2 p.m.) LONDON, March 25. Sir Austen" 0 Chamberlain received the Freedom of the City of London, .Messrs. Baldwin, Churchill and Amery, the High Commissioners of the Domin ions, India and nine ambassadors, were among those present. ' Sir Austen Chamberlain was given an ovation. In .a speech he claimed that the work at Locarno emerged (not merely unharmed, * but strengthened from Geneva. He did not doubt that with goodwill the difficulty of reconciling the rights of each democracy in its own country with the spir-

lit of the League would be solved. ' I Reverting to the Locarno Peace j Pact, Sir Austen reminded his hear- - 1 ers that two great and far-seeing Ger- « I man statesmen took the first step in the path to Locarno, j Dealing with the results at the {.Geneva Conference he said: “I think j that during the bitterness of the first disappointment I used exaggerated - language, for the event, though unfortunate, had neither the inevitable- | ness nor the -finality of true tragedy." - jSuch a set-back was not surprising,-re--membering the League’s infancy, but • only a momentary check ; due to. ex- v terior circumstances.” '-f - They should not expect as muck ■> ■ from the young League, he said, as .i ; ' they might hope for when it reached ‘ maturity. ' He added that foreign affairs, ■ which >. vwere a mystery formerly and known.

to but a few, were now everybody#-' ' business. Democracy’s claims' for - information sometimes clashed with - the League’s work. Unless the tightS'- ‘ of democracy were wisely used the ' ‘ result of the Geneva Conference, might ''■ be a repetition of the old story ofirreconcilable claims instead of open* ing a new chapter of conciliation.Sir Austen Chamberlain concluded' - by saying: “If anything could make this hour dearer, or more precious--to me, it is , the belief that I have-.fol - lowed in the footsteps of my- dear father. As a result of the l work in which I have been engaged, I have - ’ repaid some of the debt I owe him, in the way that would have been dearest - to his heart.”

Mr. Baldwin in proposing Sir Aus- , - ten Chamberlain's heaKh; said: Aa father’s name is connected with the consolidation of the Empire, so, Sir Austen’s name will .perpetually have a foremost place in the ranks of" those- ' who seek to bring peace to 'Europe. I Nobody has done more to advance:the - ' interests of the League of Reuter and Sun, . ’