COLLECTIVE ACTION

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1935, Page 5

COLLECTIVE ACTION

BRITAIN’S MAIN DESIRE

GERMANY AND LEAGUE

RETURN ON PROPER BASIS

IMPORTANT STEP TAKEN

British Wireless.

Rugby, April 12.

The three-Power conference was resumed this morning. It is anticipated that Signor Mussolini, who is presiding over the conference, will to-day give an expose of the Italian views on the European situation. The first day’s proceedings of the conference are believed to have been propitious and useful. One of the main objects of the tours undertaken by the British Minister was not to display complaisance with regard to Germany’s recent policy, but to discover whether reasonable hope existed of persuading her to resume local co-operation with the League members in constructing and strengthening the organisation for maintaining peace in Europe. Britain regards the League as the organisation through which negotiations should be conducted and through which effect should be given to international agreements. With this object the principle of collective security is in the forefront of the British policy and she is - frilling to make her contribution to that principle in every way that is possible and practicable. She will continue to strive for an international armaments agreement and is prepared to accept armaments supervision by a League body. While Britain is extremely anxious that Germany should return to the League this object should not be attained on conditions that would do more harm than good by diminishing European confidence, which is the only basis on which peace can be built in Europe.

It is understood that the French and Italian delegates were gratified by Mr. Ramsay MacDonald’s statement, which showed that the three Powers were agreed upon on the broad principle.

Sir John Simon announced that following yesterday’s meeting at Stresa he had been in communication with Berlin and; had received an assurance that the German Government was now prepared to be a party to an Eastern pact of non-aggression even if some other parties might conclude among themselves a separate and supplementary pact of mutual assistance. The only condition laid down by Germany is that the two pacts should be entirely separate instruments and should not be included in the one document.

Press reports state that this step is considered a most important advance by the three delegations.