MENACE OF WAR

Taranaki Daily News, 31 October 1935, Page 5

MENACE OF WAR

ONE ISSUE OF ELECTION CAMPAIGNING IN BRITAIN LABOUR FINANCE POLICY SIR JOHN SIMON’S VIEWS WOULD PRODUCE CRISIS British Official Wireless. Rec. 5.5 pan. Rugby, Oct 29 Prominent members of all political parties made electioneering speeches yesterday. Major C. R. Attlee delivered the first of the Labour Party’s election broadcasts, in the course of which he said the two real issues of the election were: Firstly, how could security from the menace of war be given; and secondly," how could they ensure to all citizens security for their means of livelihood? “We believe that another world war will mean the end of civilisation,” he said. “Modern weapons are so dangerous that they cannot be left in the hands of national governments. We believe that the world must disarm and join in a system of collective security.” The danger of war “sprang largely from the breakdown of the economic system and there must be economic co-operation if the peoples of the world were to benefit by the discoveries of science. If people were to be made secure a collective peace system must be made effective and must be used only as establishing conditions for building up a new world. Criticising the Government’s demand for more armaments, he said that Labour’s position was quite clear. While working for all-round disarmament it was ready to maintain efficient forces needed for the .country to take a proper share in a system of collective security. He protested that the Government had never given an estimate of what was required with regard to rearmament. All their proposals were based on obsolete ideas of national defence. MODERN COMPLICATIONS. Turning to domestic affairs, he demanded that institutions must be adapted to the new world in which we were living. The machinery of commerce and industry was so complicated that it could not be left to private industry and a mere scramble for profits. The banks should be owned by the State and the machinery of credit and finance should be operated in the interests of the nation. To reorganise industries and agriculture and provide the social amenities required the land must be brought into national ownership. The problem of distressed areas and depressed industries should be dealt with as part of the national plan. Aged people and children should be removed from industry and a reduction of hours of labour should b< effected.

Sir John Simon assailed the Labour Party proposals to take over the banks and businesses. He said that another first-class financial crisis such as occurred in 1931 would bring in its wak< a trail of ruin. The same causes would be bound to produce the same results.

He recalled the services of Lord Snowden in 1931 when he helped to revise the spendthrift policy for which he previously had been partly responsible, and he added that under the present Chancellor of the Exchequer the national finances had been completely re-establish-ed, all debits had been restored, taxation had been reduced and British credit was now the best in the world.

Mr. R. A. Eden said that there was in Britain at present a stronger and wider measure of general support for the League of Nations than there had ever been. This was due to the growing belief that through the League alone could they hope to create in. the world that new order as the result of which no n'tion would ever contemplate the use of war as an instrument of national policy. He repudiated tire suggestion that ■ the Government had been dilatory in its part in the League action in the present crisis The League had worked in the last few we les as a truly corporate body with a vigorous sense of international responsibility. When they considered how unpalatable was its task it was surely ? remarkable tribute to the League’s virility., He added that it must, however, be remembered that the first task of the League was conciliation, and it clearly would have been criminal to neglect sc long as it existed any opportunity for conciliation.