The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1945 AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25129, 16 February 1945, Page 4

The New Zealand Herald AUCKLAND, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1945 AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

The strength and prestige of the United States are well shown by Mr Roosevelt serving as chairman at the Crimea Conference and by the announcement that the first meeting of the United Nations is to take place at San Francisco. The Allied peoples will rejoice over these matters, for without American participation in world affairs the new League is doomed to failure. Mr Roosevelt is taking the most careful precautions to avoid the errors of President Wilson. He will hold a United Nations conference while the war is still in progress, and not in Paris, but in an American city. He is careful to make his delegation representative of both the great parties of the United States and even including Senator Yandenberg, who only recently washed his hands of isolationism. The President knows very well that he must take care of the susceptibilities of the Senate. That body, jealous of its prerogatives in the field of foreign affairs, took some time to approve of six new appointments to the State Department. The Senate took the opportunity to announce five aims for American foreign policy: a speedy ending of the war and the prevention of future; aggression by Germany and Japan ; the establishment of a United Nations organisation to maintain peace, by force if necessary; a great expansion of American foreign trade, to assure full employment and higher standards of living both in the United States and elsewhere; finally, the encouragement of free and democratic institutions everywhere, "in accordance with local customs and desires." The last declaration was apparently intended as a rebuke to the British suppression of the insurgents in Greece. Fortunately the Crimea Conference does not seem an encouragement of this ill-founded criticism of British policy. Mr Stettinius, apparently with the sanction of Mr Roosevelt and the President's confidential adviser, Mr Harry Hopkins, gave a public rebuff in December to the British Government over its measures in Italy and Greece. Both Mr Stettinius and Mr Hopkins accompanied Mr Roosevelt to the Crimea, where no doubt there was a detailed discussion of Italian and Greek affairs. The President joined in a declaration that the three Allied Governments would assist the liberated peoples to solve by democratic means their pressing political and economic problems. It has been suggested in Britain that her Allies left her to carry the burden in Greece alone. In the Crimea the three leaders jointly undertook to assist interim Governments in liberated countries to form administrations broadly representative of their populations. The emphasis throughout was on democracy and order. Although Greece was not specifically mentioned, Mr Churchill can justifiably claim that his policy in that country was upheld at the conference and that the views of Mr Stettinius fortunately did not receive support. But however that may be, Mr Roosevelt has pledged his country to assist in the establishment of an orderly democracy in Europe. After the complaints from Mr Stettinius on Britain's policy in Greece it was widely feared that the United States would wash her hands of Europe. One of the greatest achievements in the Crimea was America's undertaking to play her part in Europe. The resolutions already referred to the Senate will render it almost impossible for that body to do other than back up the President.

The question arises how far the Senate will go when it is asked to subscribe to the proposals for a world organisation, to be completed apparently at San Francisco on April 25. The United States cannot adhere to the organisation without the approval of the Senate. One of the obligations of the member nations will be to take up arms against an aggressor, sometimes suddenly in an emergency. Mr Roosevelt believes that the American Government should not have to seek the authorisation of Congress for every such occasion. It is open to the-gravest doubt whether Congress will confer on the President this power to make war by adhering to all the proposals for the world organisation. Peace may one day be in jeopardy through a militant Spain seizing the port of Dakar. The members of the Security Council could then call on British and American forces to deal with the aggressor. The American representatives to the coming conference at San Francisco will have to consider whether in such an instance the President will have to wait for the possibly tardy authorisation of Congress for the use of American forces against Spain. Fortunately the President's skill and the progress of events seem to have assured American backing for a world organisation to support peace. It is only its machinery which is under debate.

RELIEF IN EUROPE A reasonable explanation of delays in giving full relief to the Belgian and French civil populations has been provided by the Minister of State, Mr Richard Law, in the House of Commons. The situation, appears to be worst in Belgium, which is one of the world's most densely-populated countries, and nearly as bad in Northern France. There is no lack of food and other necessaries at overseas supply points, where both the Governments concerned, as well as Britain and America, have stocks in readiness. To transport the goods is quite another matter. It has to be remembered that the Allies must maintain millions of fighting men in a winter campaign along the greater part of Germany's western frontier, a titanic task. There was much delay in reopening the great port of Antwerp, and French ports available are either of small capacity or have required heavy repairs. The railways of Belgium and Northern France were systematically wrecked in last year's I fighting, and so were great numI bers of bridges. Military needs must

have preference at all times, and this applies to shipping as well as land transport. Unrra, apparently, is not to be blamed. It had all kinds of plans and good intentions, but there was no room for it in the military and political scheme of things. The two Governments made themselves responsible for distributing food and coal produced locally or imported, but they were not highly successful at it. The Belgians, never backward in" making their wants known, have complained with some bitterness, especially about the lack of imported raw materials for industry as a means of relieving unemployment. However, Mr Law's statement gives promise that as transport improves and winter passes into spring the trouble will gradually be eased. In any case, beating the enemy is the first consideration.

LABOUR AS EMPLOYER The wage increases which the Railways Industrial Tribunal has granted are retrospective for seven and a-half months and call for the payment of a very substantial lump sum in the present financial year. This financial wrench would have been unnecessary if the Government, as an employer, had been willing to accept the methods of orderly wageadjustment which its members professed to uphold on behalf of workers in trade and industry. The essence of the industrial arbitration system is that both parties shall have free access to a representative tribunal and that the latter's awards shall be open for review at intervals of two years or so. This enables wages and conditions to be varied as new circumstances may require. When it came to office the Labour Government showed no disposition to apply Arbitration Court methods to the general body of State employees. Instead, it insisted on remaining judge in its own cause. It showed no willingness to improve upon the procedure of earlier Governments which it had often labelled "Tory," and used all its prerogatives to delay the hearing of applications, to postpone or withhold decisions for long periods, or to refuse' concessions without giving adequate reasons for so doing. In the matter of overtime and holidays, it treated administrative, professional and clerical officers in a fashion that would have provoked immediate trouble from members of a trade union. This policy in the Railway Department, as the tribunal states, caused genuine grievances, impaired morale and did not improve efficiency. The Prime Minister announces that the pay of all public servants, including teachers, is to be similarly increased. It will be more satisfactory if he sees fit also to say that the industrial tribunal system is to be extended to all State employees.