TRADE WITH RUSSIA.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 12074, 10 June 1920, Page 5

TRADE WITH RUSSIA.

United Prsss'VYssoeiatiou— By Electric Telegraph—Copyright

LONDON, June

In the House of Common;-. Colonel Gr-iLtcn, ii) moving- 'uie adjournment, asked the moaning oi' the negotiations with Mu:v,ia. Ho said thai. Hie Russian Government had a tainted record o" violence and murders. Russia had 1 anvlliin:;- wi!h which to trade to 3. tain". He ridiciilod the stories ot Ji, -uan ivianaric.-- bursting with grain. IVoreovcr, the Mini oIT 105,000,000, which it was Russia hold for payment for inn>orts, was largely stolen :,-<ji.i belon^itiK to one or other of the Allies. Sir Samuel lloare condemned attacks uj.on tlie Premier. Me declared that ilH' latter had two fundamental inters; s at heart —the need for goods and peace. Xevertheieds, there would be an impression here and in Prance that if we accepted Russian sold, we woui'l be acting' as receivers of stolen goods. Mr l.lowi George replying, said that the decision to trade with Russia was taken in Paris, with M. Clemenceau in the chair. All the Allies were represented on. that occasion, and they had come to a unanimous decision that it was desirable to open trade relations. He declared that the Allies had acted iu thi:-' matter upon evidence from anti-Tiohshcviks, who had been driven out of Russia, but were associated with the co-operative movement. Subsequently the San RemO CBtfference had adopted a resolution declaring readiness to discuss with Krassin the best methods of resumption of trade. Upon -this decision negotiations were now proceeding with Krassin, with the assent of all the Allies. Regardingthe available stocks in Russia, the Premier stated that the Poles had confessed that there were considerable quantities of wheat'for export in Ukraine and Siberia. He had no doubt there \vere essential commodities in Russia, and lie ridiculed the argument that, we could not trade with Russia because we disapproved of its Government, or on account of the atrocities It was a new doctrine that the peo'ple must approve of the habits and customs of another people before they could trade with the latter._ To urge such a view now was gross lolly, fhey had'ie :■•:■<■■■''■! :r the whole situation. It. appalled him to think of what happen unless they succeeded in "restoring the world. The alternative policy was to say that they would kill Bolshevism, because it was an evil thing. That meant putting thenstrength and manhood into it. it would mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of men. and the addition of thousands of millions to the national debt. He asked, "Are you prepared to do that?" .