PATH OF PEACE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19885, 11 March 1939, Page 6

PATH OF PEACE

WORLD OPENING

CHANCE TO STATESMEN

VIEWS OF SIR S. HOARE

STAND BY DEMOCRACIES

NEED OF ARMED POWER

(F.lec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.)

(British Official Wireless.)

Reed. 1.30 p.m. RUGBY. March 10. In a speech in his constituency, the Home Secretary, Sir Samuel Hoare, eloquently depicted the opportunity which lay before leading statesmen of the world to create peace and prosperity. He asked his audience to imagine the possible results of abolishing political uncertainties which stand in the way of settled co-operation between the nations.

"Suppose political confidence could be restored in Europe," he said. "Supoose, for the space of five years, there were 'neither wars nor rumours of wars. Suppose the peoples of Europe were able to free themselves from the nightmare that haunts them and from the expenditure on armaments that beggars them.

"Could we not then devote the almost incredible inventions and discoveries of our time to the creation of a golden age in which poverty could reduced to insignificance and the -standard of living raised to heights we have never been able to attempt before?

Greatest Opportunity

••Hera indeed is the greatest opportunity that has ever been offered to the leaders of the world. Five men in Europe—three dictators and the Prime Ministers of England and France, 'if they worked with singleness of purpose and unity of action to this end, might. : n an incredibly short space of time transform the whole history of the world. These five men, working together in Europe and blessed in their efforts by the President of the United States, might make themselves the eternal benefactors of the human race. "Our own Prime Minister has shown his determination to work heart and sou] to such an end. I cannot •believe that the other leaders in Europe will not join him in the high_ endeavour upon which he is engaged." Sir Samuel Hoarc commented on the astonishing freedom with which all 'aspects of the country's defence provisions were still discussed in the British Parliament and on the chance that it afforded to all citizens to realise how the huge sums, running to nearly £600.000 000 this year, being spent on defence were, now producing results. The statements of the defence estimates and recent debates had shown that the long period of preparation had come to an end and the results were now emerging with remarkable effect. Democracies' Solidarity "They show, I am convinced, that we could not be defeated in a short war by any knock-out blow and that in a long war our almost inexhaustible resources would ensure final victory," continued Sir Samuel. "These conclusions are of incalculable importance, not only to us. but to every country that is bent upon peace. "There is another fact which emerged in recent weeks. It is the «olidarity of the effort in tho three great democracies. "\t the end of the year there were many foolish people who went about saying that the democracies were oit'ete. Few say so to-day and none will say so to-morrow. "For the great rearmament programmes in the British commonwealth, France and the United States are much more than the repair of dtaps in the national defences. They are the outward and visible signs of the strength and vigor of the three countries and their unshakeable resolution to ward off attack on their Historic liberties." . /

Never in our memory had there been so fundamental a unity, or so lirm a resolve in all three democracies, each differing from the other iti almost every respect and each forming its conclusions in its own way, but all three inevitably impelled upon the same programme of national defence, said Sir Samuel. Between the British and French democracies there had been forged especially-close bonds of common interest. They were both in Europe and European dangers encompassed them. Position of America "America is in a different position," he continued. "It is out of Europe and does not wish to be drawn into European entanglements. It has its own problems to solve and does not want them compromised by foreign obligations. "We realise these differences and accept them and wc should be both meddlesome anu foolish if we attempted to run counter to them. The American democracy will got its own way and none here will try to deflect it but that is not the significant fact at the moment.

“The significant fact is the simultaneous rejuvenescence of democratic strength in cajfch of the three great democracies, not least in America, and the equal determination of all three io resist, and resist victoriously, any and every attack upon its life and liberty.” Sir Samuel went on to stress Die essentially defensive character of the rearmament of the democracies. "Seme on the Continent are saying that we are building up great armaments for the purpose of attack and that we are marching -towards war,” he said. “Nothing is further from the truth. We are doing no more than to raise our standard of defence to the point that already has been reached by the dictator countries, and we are raising it with extreme reluctance We arc thinking only of a conference and we shall always lie ready to lessen the appalling burden of modern standards of defence imposed on the world if a general agreement that leaves each of us safe from aggression can be reached by international negotiation.” Sir Samuel declared that the new strength of the democracies would not make them blind or rigid to the problems that called for a remedy. They were as anxious as ever to remove the causes of war in the world. “They believe, for instance, that great progress might speedily be jccurcd if they could cut through

the entanglements that now stifle trade and destroy friendly intercourse," he continued. "They always are ready for discussions on these lines. "They welcome, therefore, contacts now being made between British and German industrialists. They aa'e glad that the President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Oliver Stanley, •should visit Berlin. They hope that the result of this closer intercourse will be to remove some obstacles that now stand so formidably in the way of world trade."