BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1929, Page 9

BRITISH FOREIGN POLICY

LABOUR PARTY PROPOSALS RELATIONSHIP WITH RUSSIA DESIRE TO LIMIT NAVIES British Official Wireless. Rugby, July 5. Foreign relations were discussed, in th® House of Commons when the debate on the Address to the Throne was continued. Sir Austen Chamberlain asked the Foreign Secretary, the Rt. Hon. A. Henderson, whether he could make any announcement regarding the conversations and negotiations in progress between the British Minister in China and the representatives of the Nanking Government. z ' Referring to the negotiations - with America, Sir Austen said the statement by Mr. Hugh Gibson and the mention of a new "yardstick,” for comparing tho different fleet units, President Hoover had introduced into the discussions seemed full of hope and was a good augury for the future, and they earnestly desired that the negotiations should com® to a successful termination. \ "I believe we can best contribute to that result by refraining from inter* ing by public discussion at this stage in matters which must be treated privately, in the first instance, if they are to produce good results. I therefore confine myself to wishing the Prime Minister every success in the task he has before him.” / Sir Austen urged the Government not to act with undue haste in the matter of the signature of the optional clause of the International Court agreement, or without having given full attention to the various difficult questions to which it inevitably gave rise. Britain was doubly and trebly committed to a peaceful settlement of international disputes. Referring to the Rhineland evacuation he said he would welcome it, but it must be a general evacuation. He welcomed the adherence of Mr. MacDonald to the former note to Russia against hostile propaganda and denounced the resumption of relations till that propaganda had ceased. EVACUATION OF RHINELAND. ' ■ Mr. Henderson thought the Rhineland evacuation should take place at th® earliest possible moment. "I am convinced,” he said, “it will not be in the interests of the peace of Europe if this evacuation is taken by degrees and stages. I think we ought to try to get both tho French and Belgian Governments to take this step with us. I have no reason to" believe any insuperable difficulty is going to be placed in tho way, either by France or Belgium, to complete evacuation. Th® House may feel assured that everything we can do, all moral forces we can bring to bear, especially at th® coming conference which deals /with the experts’ report, will be exerted to secure a speedy and unanimous decision in favour of evacuation.”

On the question of Russia, Mr. Henderson recalled the actual position of relations. He saidc “His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom accorded de jure recognition to the Government of Soviet Russia in 1924. From that time the Government of Soviet Russia was entitled to be recognised as the Government of the State, and is still recognised by his Majesty’s Government, It follows that the reciprocal rights and duties which international law recogniss as incumbent on States in they; relations to one another continue to subsist between this country and Russia. What the rupture of, 192.7 did was to suspend the normal machinery of diplomatic relations. It is that machinery which now requires to be re-established.”

In this, he added, the Government was he thought, supported by the great volume of opinion in Britain. One or two replies had been received from the Dominions, but the Government was not taking action till they had found out whether they were going to receive any further replies. Referring to the anti-British manifesto issued in March by the Third Communist International, to which reference Led been made by Sir Austen Chamberlain, Mr. Henderson said they had no association with it and would not be influenced by it. The Government had made it clear it was not going to tolerate Russian propaganda.