IF WAR COMES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 123, 27 May 1938, Page 7

IF WAR COMES

THE CANADIAN POLICY PRIME MINISTER DEFINES POSITION By Telpgrar-h—Prc-v> Association—Copyrirhtl OTTAWA, May 26. During a six-hour debate on foreign affairs in the House of Commons, the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. W. L. Mackenzie King, defining the Canadian policy, declared that Canada was unlikely to engage in war on her own account or be attacked, and she cannot be drawn into war by the League and will not join the Empire in war, except by Parliament's decision. Mr. r' B. Bennett (Leader of the Opposition) contended that Canada, as a member of the British Commonwealth, would be automatically at war if the Empire was attacked. The only alternative was separation from the Empire, which would not be the choice of Canadians. Mr. J. S. Woodsworth (Commonwealth Federation) stated that Canada should act to relieve herself from an obligation to fight in any way but in a war of defence of her own shores. If war came wealth should also be conscripted. The Prime Minister declared that Canada had not commitments and should not have any. No advice was offered to London, whose decisions were not binding to Canada, despite assertions to the contrary. All three leaders denounced Japanese aggression. Mr. Bennett warned Hitler agents working among the Canadian minority groups, stressing their alleged rights, and cited Czechoslovakia, where the German minority j demanded Homeland military action I to compel the Czechs to give them what they wanted. No language was too strong to describe the difficulty o' the European situation.