Britain’s Relationship With Rest Of Europe

Northern Advocate, 22 April 1944, Page 5

Britain’s Relationship With Rest Of Europe

(Rec. 2.30 p.m.) LONDON, April 21. Britain’s relationship with Europe after the war was referred to by Mr. Churchill in his speech in the House of Commons.

“Shall we draw closer to Europe and aim at creating, under a supreme world council, a living union, an entity in Europe, a United States of Europe?” he asked. “Again, should we concentrate upon oUr own Imperial and Commonwealth organisation, or upon our fraternal association with the United States, and nut ohr trust in the English Channel, in air operations and sea power?” He said that, great as were their responsibilities, no reasonable person could expect them to solve all the problems of the world while they were fighting for their lives. Safeguarded Imperial Preference

Mr. Churchill proceeded to describe how strictly during his stewardship he had safeguarded the structure of Imperial preference, built up out of the accomplishments and achievements of the last 40 years, against the danger of being swept away in the tumult of this war. He showed how he had insisted on the words “with due respect to their existing obligations” being inserted in the Atlantic Charter, and said they were inserted for the express purpose of retaining for Parliament and the Dominions the fullest possible rights and liberties on any question of Imperial preference. Again, in February, 1942. when the United States was our closest Ally, he did not agree to Article Seven of the Mutual Aid agreement without having previously obtained from the President a definite assurance that we were no more committed to abolition of protective tariffs. A Goodwill Task

But he was confident there would be cheerful, searching, far-reaching discussions on the economics of the postwar world and a sincere attempt would be made to reconcile conflicting interests wherever possible.

There must be whole-hearted endeavour, taken in good time, to promote the greatest interchange of goods services between various communities in the world, and to stove for that process of betterment of the standards of living in every country without which expanding markets are impossible, and without which world prosperity is a dream which might easily turn into a nightmare.