The Timaru Herald SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1938. NEW DEAL IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLV, Issue 21216, 10 December 1938, Page 8

The Timaru Herald SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1938. NEW DEAL IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Although the South African Minister of Defence, on the eve of his departure from London, declared that he was “leaving Europe with a feeling of almost unqualified anxiety,” he nevertheless confessed that he could see “one gleam of hope,” in the fact that “Mr Chamberlain will spare no effort to secure lasting peace.” "Mr Chamberlain’s phenomenal success at Munich," said Mr Pirow, “encourages one to believe that he may also save the present situation. "At the same time," added the South African Minister, “it must be accepted that Mr Chamberlain has made all the advances which can necessarily be expected, and a gesture should now come from one or more of the other parties to the Munich agreement.” Germany and Italy on their part, no less than Japan have repeatedly declared themselves in favour of peace based on international understandings concluded in the “spirit” of the Munich agreement. What is this spirit? Have the totalitarian countries contributed anything toward peace. Within recent years leading statesmen representing the democracies of the world have made frequent appeals to the Europan leaders to take advantage of what they call the “new atmosphere of understanding,” to smooth out difficulties. As Mr Pirow suggests, Mr Chamberlain, on behalf of the democracies of the world has made substantial contributions to the cause of European appeasment; in a word, he has made all the advances. It is realised, of course, that although the outlook is gloomy, still a new atmosphere has been created that should be utilised to make a new diplomatic start to reach a wider settlement of problems such as the questions of colonies, world trade barriers, the stabilisation of world currencies and the part to be played by gold in such stabilisation. It cannot be denied that lost opportunities—and the blame does not rest wholly on one group of powers —have been largely responsible for the worsening of European conditions in recent years: "Some people held that the conflict between democracy and dictatorship must be an out-and-out fight, in which there could not, and should not, be peace or compromise,” declared General Smuts in a recent address. “But why,” he asked, “should we of this much-tried generation be called upon to settle this ideological issue and jeopardise millions of lives, perhaps, civilisation, in another Great War? If the world reaches a new equilibrium without such a fatal cataclysm, statesmen will deserve well of the future. Let us try again to build the house of peace. If there is madness in the world,” he went on, “give it time to wear off, but do not let it drag the world into a destructive war. At the same time, I would rebuild the League of Nations into a more effective instrument of confidence, security and peaceful change.” It is generally agreed that mistakes should not be repeated, but if a new deal is needed in international affairs, it cannot be denied that nothing will be settled with justice if all the good will gestures and all material contributions come from one side.