COMMONS DEBATE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19468, 29 October 1937, Page 5

COMMONS DEBATE

DEFENCE OF POLICY SOCIAL SERVICE OUTLAY ATTITUDE TO LEAGUE ENDEAVOURS FOR PEACE (British Official Wireless.) Reed. 11 a.m. RUGBY, Oct. 28. Continuing the debate in the House of Commons on the Address-in-Reply, the. Minister of Transport, Dr. E. L. Burgin, reminded the Labour Party critics that greatly increased sums were made available for expenditure on social reforms. In 1931 tbe amount spent was £171,000,000 and m 1937 it was £219,000,000 in spite of the burdens of debt and rearmament. There were 1,000,000 more citizens in employment than in 1931. Referring to comments on the rise in the cost of commodities, he said that a reasonable rise in the wholesale prices of primary commodities was a desirable feature. One of the advantages that had accrued in the last six years had been the steady climbing back to remunerative prices for planters and growers.

The Government did not believe that the period of trade expansion had come to an end. All the evidence reaching the Government was to the contrary effect.

Conclusion Unwarranted The Foreign Under-Secretary, Viscount Cranborne, referred to charges of the Opposition that the omission of a direct allusion to the League of Nations in the King’s speech meant that the Government had abandoned the League. That, he said, was a conclusion as unwarranted as if they had argued that the absence of mention in the speech of the maintenance of the constitution heralded a policy of red revolution. He could assure the House that the League remained the basis of the British foreign policy. In the Far East, he said, the League was faced with a problem of a very special character. The House knew that throughout the British Government had tried to keep as closely in touch as possible with Washington. When the committee of 23 met it was recognised that it had two main tasks. The first was that it had to act as the mouthpiece of world public opinion.

As a result of the completely objective and impartial examination the committee came to the unanimous decision that Japan had not been justified in taking the action she had, and had violated the Nine Power Treaty and the Pact of Paris. The League of Nations had not merely to decide what action would be In accordance with the covenant, but what action was most likely to be effective. It was quite clear that the League, acting alone, would not bring in those non-members States, whose co-opera-tion would be necessary in any action, whether conciliatory or of any other kind. Conference Recommended The committee recommended n Nine Power . Treaty conference. There were those who said that the League, in addition to making that recommendation, should take economic action of its own. To embark on action without knowing whether it was likely to be effective would not only have been futile, but" would also be definitely dangerous. Mr. D. Lloyd George (Independent Liberal, Carnarvon) declared that despite the Government’s answer he still considered the absence of mention of tbe League of Nations in the King's speech rather significant. The League, he said, had lost its authority because of at least two episodes which occurred in the lifetime of the National Government, and he accused it of having led the League’s retreat before aggression in both Manchuria and Abyssinia.

Mr. Lloyd George proceeded to attack the non-intervention policy, the history of which, he said, was discreditable in many respects and dishonourable in mcist. If its aim was to prevent foreign intervention it had been a complete and utter failure —an obvious failure, and more, a boasted failure.

POISONING IN ARMY CONTAMINATED MEAT SOVIET DEATH PENALTY (Reed. Oct. 29, noon.) MOSCOW, Oct. 28. Five veterinarians employed in the Polish border region have been sentenced to death for contaminating livestock and poisoning meat delivered to the Soviet army, causing stomach poisoning and other serious illnesses among the troops.