LORDS CRITICAL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19597, 31 March 1938, Page 9

LORDS CRITICAL

ATMS OF BRITAIN LABOUR OPINIONS ATTITUDE TO EUROPE ANSWER BY MINISTER CONCILIATION EFFORTS (British Official Wireless.) Reccl. 2.30 p.m. RUGBY, March 29. The House of Lords debated the statement made by the Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax, last Thursday in relation to Britain’s altitude to recent events in Europe. The Opposition leader. Lord Snell, said that the Government appeared to live from day to day and by political accommodation for the hour without any long-range policy. The Labour Party was anxious to do its share to help the Government in a time of crisis, but wanted to know where they were going. He declined to promise the co-operation Of the Labour Party until they knew that. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Cosmo Lang, thought it was easy to say rebuild the League of Nations, but they could not rebuild on broken foundations. He had most reluctantly come to the conclusion that collective security was impossible. Lord Cecil found the Government's declaration inadequate to meet the situation and complained that it had no constructive policy in regard to the League of Nations except a policy of despair.

Lord Halifax, replying to the debate, said he thought that in every foreign country the statement made in the House of Commons by the Prime Minister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, had received the same approval that it had received from the bulk of public opinion at home.. “The principles,” he said, “on which I would seek to base the British policy are: At home, we must preserve our nvn democracy, our institutions and our individual rights; abroad, .we shall seek to uphold what we believe to be right, using our influence to prevent a division of Europe into rival camps and taking every opportunity to use our good offices to promote conciliation.”