BRITAIN AND RUSSIA

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 28 June 1926, Page 5

BRITAIN AND RUSSIA

DEBATE IN COMMONS

DISORDERLY SCENES

(By Electric Telegraph.— Copyright.) (Reuters Telegrams)

LONDON, June 25. Anglo-Russian relations were the subject of a lively debate in the House of Commons, attended by Mr R. Raklatvnla, Communist member for Battersea, who was released from prison this morning-. Commander Locker-Lampson invited debate on the motion“ That this House condemns the subversive political activities in this country of Roviet organisations admitted for the purposes of trade, and is of opinion that, the trade agreement with the Roviet ought, to be terminated.” The mover denounced the Bolshevists for repudiating their debts to, and confiscating the property of, British nationals, many of whom were imprisoned, beaten, and murdered. “We .must cease,” he declared, “to make freeborn English men helots of a slave Rtate.”

-Mr Arthur Ponsonby (Lab.) denounced the language used by the Earl of Birkenhead and Mr Winston Churehill in their recent anti-Russian speeches, and appealed to Sir Austen Chamberlain to try to renew friendly Anglo-Russian relations. Mr Lloyd Oeorge (L.) contended that disapproval of Bolshevism was no reason for breaking off diplomatic relations and cancelling the Anglo-Russian Trade Agreement. Commander Hilton Young declared that it would be a very great mistake to break oil' relations with Russia. Rir Frederick Nelson (('.), who was a member of the party of Conservatives who recently visited Russia, strongly opposed breaking off relations and closing up the trade delegation. Mr Ramsay MacDonald appealed for an extension of the Trade Agreement’. Rir Austen Chamberlain, replying to the debate, unhesitatingly declared that the Cnvernment was entitled to complain of Roviet actions, but be considered it unwise to break- off relation and terminate the trade agreements. He believed that- breaking off existing rela,lions would be useless and would weaken our ability to light disorder or revolution within our own borders, and would increase the fear of European i list a 1 ii 1 it v.

Referring to the money sent from Russia, he said that the Roviet Governnient could not have found a worse field to invest their money for revolution than among the workers of Croat Britain. At the conclusion of Sir Austen Chamberlain's speech. Labour members created disorder, objecting to the Deputy Rpeaker calling on another member of the Covernment instead of a Labour member. After the scene had lasted for five minutes, the sitting was suspended, whereupon the day's business was declared terminated.