PEACE PROBLEMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 21 February 1935, Page 4

PEACE PROBLEMS.

Although the memorandum issued by the Government in regard to the recent development of foreign policy in Great Britain did not contain much new information, it gave an excellent resume of the various post-war international problems. The statement confirms the impression gained during the past month or two that the nations have awakened to the danger of having no authority to which international disputes can be referred if the League of Nations is allowed to drift into decay—a danger which six months ago appeared to be quite real. The question of dealing with defiance of the League’s rulings, such as, for instance, in the case of Japan over Manchukuo, when there were rights and wrongs on both sides of the dispute, is, as the Government’s memorandum shows, still a matter for argument, and it must be confessed that there seems little chance of international agreement upon the best means for dealing with such defiance. The new “regional” agreements into which Great Britain has entered were referred to the Dominions under the agreement made between the British and Dominion Governments that the latter should be consulted on questions of foreign policy which might involve the whole Empire. The Dominion is not in law a party to any new agreement made by Great Britain with a foreign country. As a matter of fact, she has necessarily to accept Britain’s guidance in European affairs though at liberty to withhold formal approval if she so desires. There seems nothing in the memorandum that need cause perturbation in New Zealand. Britain’s aim in all the recent negotiations has been to ensure the peace of Europe. In furtherance of that aim she has strengthened her own defences and is ready to use them for the prevention of aggression against countries which, like herself, are anxious to keep the peace.