PERSECUTION IN RUSSIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20496, 22 February 1930, Page 11

PERSECUTION IN RUSSIA.

PROPAGANDA BY SOVIET.

LORDS DEBATE POSITION.

EFFECT ON RELATIONS.

ATTITUDE OF GOVERNMENT

By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyriskt. (Received February 21. 7.15 p.m.) LONDON. Feb. 20. Tn the House of Lords the Earl of Birkenhead called attention to the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Government, and asked whether the British Government had found it necessary to represent to the Soviet Government, or to their representative in London, that there had been a breach of the conditions or understanding upon which the relations were resumed. He referred to the recent protest made in the House hy Archbishop Lord Davidson against religious persecutions in Russia and to the desire of the Primate, Dr. Cosmo Lang, to keep the protest from politics. Propaganda Pledge Broken. Lord Birkenhead declared that he knew of no definition of politics which would exclude the topic with which the Primate had been concerned. The pledge of the Soviet Government to curtail tho propaganda and activities of the Third (Communist) International had been broken. Is was notorious that there had been no cessation of the energetic action against Britain in India or Afghanistan.

Lord Birkenhead denounced as "an impudent and clumsy forgery" the reported declaration by the Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch Sergius, to the effect' that there was no religious persecution in that country.

Lord Parmoor, replying for the Government, said that if any statements were made by the International which rendered it necessary, in the opinion of the Government, to break of! diplomatic relations with Russia, they would deal with them in the same way as if they had been made by the Soviet Government itself. The Government did not attempt to define the distinction between those two bodies, but in the opinion of the Government there had been no such breach as made it necessary to break off relations. Lord Cushendun gave it as his opinion that the breaking off of diplomatic relations with the Soviet was the only policy offering hope of improved intercourse. It was the only policy reconcilable with the dignity, history and instinct of the British people. Mentality of Bolsheviks.

Lord Newton said that the Bolsheviks differed in mentality from the whole people of the world. They were like boa constrictors, and the only proper way to deal with them was to keep them at arm's length.

Lord Ponsonby replied that Russian propaganda in the days of the Tsars, consisting of clever intrigue in India, Afghanistan and Turkey, was far more dangerous than the insignificant newspaper circulating in London's slums. Lord Birkenhead had allowed himself to become a leader of anti-Bolshevik hysteria, the or.lv motive of which was to embarrass the negotiations by the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Arthur Henderson. ,

CHARGE BY BYKOFF.

FOREIGN INTRIGUE ALLEGED

DESIRE FOR INTERVENTION

MOSCOW. Feb. 20

Rykoff, president of the Soviet Union, addressing scientific workers, alleged that foreign representatives, including Sir Robert Hodgson, who controlled the British Embassy from 1924 to 1927. were involved in financing "destructive organisations" for furthering anti-Soviet propaganda. He claimed, as an instance, that an engineer had received £cß.ooo. Rykoff mentioned that foreign oil companies were also involved, and expressed the opinion that the destructive policies of foreign capitalists and White Guard organisations were based on the expectation of intervention.

SALVATION ARMY.

PRAYERS FOR SUFFERERS.

APPEAL BY GENERAL.

LONDON. Feb. '2O.

General Higgins appeals to the Salvation Army throughout the world to join other Christians on March 16 in " praying to God to intervene and stop those who may be brutally beating men and women seeking to worship Him in Russia, and that He may strengthen, support, and deliver those who may be suffering unspeakably.'' General Higgins explains that he bad hesitated to express his views, because of the doubt whether tf.e report were true or exaggerated.

ATTACKS ON POPE

REPLY TO RECENT APPEAL

RUSSIAN CHURCHES BLOWN UP

(Received February 21, H. 15 p.m.) POME, Feb. 2!

The Vatican has received the report, of a wireless message, which was intercepted at, Vienna, of a broadcast speech made by Yareslavsky, head of the " Godless League," directed against the Holv See. Yareslavsky boasted that immediately following the Pope's protest he caused six large churches to be blown up, or otherwise demolished, exclusive of those in country districts, as a still wortheir answer to the Roman Catholic provocat ions. Yareslavsky says he is preparing the complete destruction in 10 days of all the leading churches in the .10 largest cities in the Soviet Union. There are further reports at the Vatican and records from the whole world of the repercussions to the Pope's appeal. A message from Riga sets out the following manifesto by workers from the Godless League: " Damn us as they wish, we will not retract from the road which Lenin showed. The day will come when the Godless workmen of the world will turn the Vatican into a museum, and erect the Pope's effigy beside that of the Siberian witch, Dr. Shaman, as monumets to tho Papal swindle."