OTHERS BESIDES BRITAIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23702, 9 January 1939, Page 8

OTHERS BESIDES BRITAIN

The world, of course, is very evil, but I cannot bring myself to take ouite such a gloomy view about Britain’s part in its affairs as many of your contributors seem to do, writes Mr J. A, Spender to the Spectator. They think we ought to have prevented Japan from annexing Manchuria and attacking China, to have restrained Italy from conquering Abyssinia, to have saved Czechoslovakia, to have come to the rescue of the Spanish Government. I share their sympathies in most of these affairs, ‘ but I would ask them to remember that there are limits to British power, and that during most of the years from 1932. onwards our forces have been barely eaual to the defence of the British Empire and Commonwealth. All these causes are said to have been our special concern, and we are charged with having betrayed them. This seems to me to be an unnecessary selfabasement. Out of this history it is possible to frame a dozen indictments against as many Governments over a period of 20 years. If the object is to blame, Momus himself could scarcely have better material. But recrimination is only useful if it shows the wav to better results in the future. From this point of view I think it must be said that if we are to wait till the eleventh hour for treaty revision, and if all concessions and accommodations are to be denounced as if they were surrenders and betrayals • of longestablished rights and institutions, there will be no peace in the world. We must go to meet these cases and not wait for settlements in panic and wrath at the last moment.