WARTIME TOPICS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24827, 25 February 1944, Page 4

WARTIME TOPICS

LESSONS FROM ITALY FUTURE OF EUROPE NO INFLUENCE SPHERES By Telegrranh—Press Association —Copyright (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON, Feb. 23 A two-day debate on the conduct of the war has concluded in the House of Commons. Mr. R. J. G. Booth by (Conservative —Aberdeen) suggested that a result of the new system of combined staffs might be slowness and a lack of flexibility. Mr. L. Hore-Belisha, a former Minister for War, said the United States and Russia were following an expansionist policy. Britain, like Russia, should have a policy in regard to Europe, and he suggested an economic federation. Mr. F. W. Pethick-Lawrence (Labour —Edinburgh) said he hoped the lessons of Anzio would be home in mind, and asked for an assurance that in the dangerous enterprise of invading Europe there would be no rigidity of a fixed timetable to prevent the Allies taking advantage ot any favourable opportunity. French Committee Supported The Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, said one of the benefits of Anzio was the lessons it was teaching the Allies in amphibious warfare. The French Committee of National Liberation, he said, was steadily broadening its scope and gaining authority. General de Gaulle was now surroundeo. bv a committee of authority, and the committee administered ah the I'leneh Empire except Indo-China. Ihe resistance movement in France was steadily growing, and the Allies, with the French Committee, were doing everything possible to support it. When treedom was regained, Britain would work with France as a loyal friend and partner. , . .Mr. Eden acknowledged that Spam s action in not giving passage to our enemies was specially helpful in 19'!-, "but Britain and the United States had now asked her to take a stricter "view of her neutrality obligations. Basis for Lasting Peaca The Prime Minister's words on Poland, said Mr. Eden, had been carefully chosen and we were still engaged in negotiations. Peace after the conflict was over depended on the close intimate understanding between nations of the British Commonwealth, tiie United States and the Soviet. If this could be achieved ail problems. However difficult, could be resolved. It it could not, there would be no hope tor a lasting peace. . United States interest lti world affairs was infinitely to be preferred to the United States not taking such interest. Ihts applied equa.h to othei Great Powers, but Mr. Fdeu assured the House that there was no foundation of truth in the idea that the British Government had limited this interest to. or excluded it from, certain parts of Europe. "Wo have not agreed to any spheres of influence, v\e not been asked to, 1 ' he added. POST-WAR FRONTIERS BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY 'AMERICAN INTERPRETATIONS (Reed, u.lO P.m.) NEW YORK. Feb. 24 Diplomatic circles in Washington coneider Mr. Churchill's speech a most important utterance, indicating that the wind of British, and, perhaps. BritishAmerican, foreign policy is blowing in two directions simultaneously, pays the "Washington correspondent of the New (York Times. It is explained that Russia s desire* will be furthered in Poland and Yugoslavia, while in Italy the King .wilf be given every possible opportunity t-o retain his throne, in spite of the-op-position of Italian Liberalism, The New York Times understands that there is no reason to expect_ that the United States would dissent if Mr. Churchill could secure a Russian-Polish settlement involving the handing over of substantial portions of German territory to Russia and Poland. The total omission of the Baltic States from Mr. Churchill's speech is interpreted as an indication that Britain is accepting the incorporation of Latvia. Lithuania and Estonia in the Soviet Union as an accomplished fact. AUSTRALIAN COAL DISPUTES ASP WAR EFFORT ALL MUST WORK FOR NATION (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) CANBERRA. Feb. 24 The interests of employers arid emplovees would be subordinated to the vital need of increased production tinder the new coal bill, the Prime Minister, Mr. J. Curtin, told the Federal House of Representatives. Instead ol ■working for private owners, the miners ■would be working for the nation. The employer would operate his mine a.s an agent" of the nation and would receive a "fair valuation for the coal produced. "Instead of constant disputation between owner and employee, the nation now steps in," said Mr. Curtin. "Ibis is not because we want to destroy private enterprise, but because industrial disputes are denying the nation the instruments of war. We bave_ tried to avoid that responsibility. We hoped against hope that employers and employees would accept a trusteeship for the nation. But now the nation is going to cut the Gordian knot and get the coal it needs.'' The Prime Minister revealed _ that production throughout Australia in ]9-12 was an all-time record of nearly 15,000,000 tons. New South Wales must, supply more than 80 per cent_ of Australia's coal requirements. The estimated capacity of the New South W ales mines was at least 13.500.000 tons, alter allowing for reasonable losses from all causes. The debate in the House of Representatives is to be resumed. BRITISH MINERS' WAGES OVERHAUL OF STRUCTURE '(Reed. 10.30 P.m.) LONDON, Feb. 24 Leading representatives of British miners and mine owners are meeting in London to-day to start a complete overhaul of the coal industry's complicated wages structure. The miners have agreed to the Governments request to postpone adjustment ol anomalies arising iroiu their too jit wage increase until a new and simpler met hod oi wage-fixing has been ■worked out by these joint discussions. BRITISH SUMMER TIME '(Reed. 11.15 p.m.) I.OXDON, Fell .11 Double British summer time will operate in Britain from Sunday. April 2, until Sunday, August 13. Normally New Zealand time is 11 5 hours ahead of Britain ami our summer time half-hour increases the difference to 12 hours. With double summer time Britain puts the clock forward two hours, so that, after April 2 British time will be only 10 hours behind New Zealand. YUGOSLAV DIFFERENCES LONDON, Feb. •_>:( Royal Yugoslav quarters disagree ■with Mr. Churchill's statement that a unifying force is growing up around Marshal Tito, says Renter's Cairo correspondent. They contend that Marshal Tito's Partisans prejudiced the cointry's safety bv hasty action and say that General Mikhailovich's inactivity is the only possible means of carrying out the struggle until the proper moment for striking arrives.