NEW PLAN FOR WORLD UNITY

Northern Advocate, 6 February 1936, Page 2

NEW PLAN FOR WORLD UNITY

INTERNATIONAL CONTROL OF RAW MATERIALS

[British Official Wireless .] (Received 2.30 p.m.) RUGBY. February 5

In the House of Commons, Mr G. Lansbury (Labour) moved a resolution in favour of summoning,

through the League of Nations, an international conference to deal with economic factors, which, the Gov-

ernment claim, are responsible for worldwide preparations for war, such as the necessity for access to raw material and markets, and for

' migration,

Mr Lansbury declared that he had no faith in any system which relied on force.

When war broke out it was impossible to preserve any balance of fairness to opponents. Nations lost 1 * all sense of fight and wrong. When at last a settlement was reached by force, it was always such as, sooner or later, had to be reviewed and modified.

Review Necessary,

The economic conditions of the world should be brought under review. He was not proposing to share out the British Empire. He wanted an entirely new conception of world unity, under which the raw materials of the world wotild be organised by an international authority for the service of all nations of the world. If Governments could co-operate , and organise to destroy, surely it should be easier in carrying out this humane proposal. After a Conservative amendment had been moved, expressing confidence that the Government would take all practicable steps to promote international prosperity and a better understanding between the peoples, Mr Lloyd George spoke in support of the prpposal for an international conference to consider raw materials and the colonial problem.

Situation of Tension.

After a review of the disappointments in recent years, of hopes founded on the Locarno treaties and the Paris Peace Pact, he referred to recent increases in world armaments and the situation of tension, uncertainty and menace they created. He said that two great countries in Europe were apprehensive of encirclement —Germany and Russia. Germany was frightened of Russia and France, and Russia was frightened of Germany and Japan. Was it not possible, he asked, to break this circle of fear before it was too late. Elsewhere, economic consid - erations were of greater importance. Mr Lloyd George mentioned the j Japanese action in the Far East and j Italy’s resort to war in East Africa. He was not in favour of giving away bits of the British Empire, but in the course of his review of the colonial problem, he suggested reconsideration of the distribution of League rnandotcs. Regarding German claims, he said that they should not be ignored because of unfortunate or foolish speeches of certain German leaders. He asked the Government to consider if the titne had not come when nations should be summoned together, and asked to put their cards on the table, and say what it was they wanted, Mr L. S. Amery said he thought that .such a conference would be foredoomed to futility.