APPEASEMENT POLICY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 25 January 1939, Page 2

APPEASEMENT POLICY

DEFENDED BY MR BRUCE DICTATORSHIPS AND DEMOCRACIES lU.P A.— By Electric Telegraph—Copy nabtl SYDNEY, 25th January. Addressing the Millions Club to-day, following a civic reception, the visiting High Commissioner in London, Mr Bruce, said that it was difficult not to sympathise with the point of view of those who would substitute for the policy of appeasement a policy which would outlaw the dictators, having regard to the aggression, brutality and defiance of treaties by certain Powers Acceptance of this view, however, would mean a consolidation of the German people behind their dictator and a cementing of the anti-Com intern pact between Germany, Italy and Japan into a formal military alliance, which was likely to culminate in another world war. Mr Bruce added that it must be conceded that even the dictators had set out to ensure the economic and social welfare of their people, just as the democracies had, and it could not be denied that they had achieved a great deal in recent years; but their standards of living now were decreasing, due to heavy expenditures on armaments. Thus, when it became apparent that the dictators could no longer attain their aims by force, the way would be open for an improvement of the world position. Armed strength by the democracies would constitute a real instrument for the promotion of policies of political and economic appeasement, and progressive disarmamnet. The other fact that must clearly be recognised was that every country was entitled to determine its own form of internal government, and it was the duty of the British Empire and the other democracies to live side by side with the Nazism of Germany, the Fascism of Italy and the Communism of Russia.