The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, NOV. 15, 1946 WHAT OF EUROPE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 50, 15 November 1946, Page 4

The Bay of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, NOV. 15, 1946 WHAT OF EUROPE

IT was easier for Mr Churchill to suggest the ideal of a.United States of Europe as a way back to sanity on the Continent than it would be to secure its accomplishment. The picture he has painted of present-day conditions is no doubt true.. “Quivering, tormented, hungry, care-worn, and bewildered humans wait at the ruins of their cities and homes, scanning the dark horizon for the approach of some new tyranny or terror,” he said. “There is a babel of voices among the victors and solemn silence and despair among the vanquished That is all the Germanic races have got from tearing each other to pieces and spreading havoc far and wide. If America had not at least realised that ruin and enslavement of Europe involved its own future, and stretched out hands of succor and guidance, the Dark Ages would have returned with all their cruelty and squalor.” There can be no doubt about the general condition of the Continent, even if in some states the outlook is brightening. But where are the nations to find the leadership necessary to establish Mr Churchill’s proposed Council of Europe? It is not yet m sight. Russia would no doubt claim that in the Soviet system there is an ideal starting-point. The Western democracies will have none of the Soviet system, with its primitive repression and hardship. Only through the democratic way, they say, can Europe find salvation. The conflicts which have marred the Paris Conference and the meetings of the Security Council in New York have shown the realities of the position, the bitterness of the struggle for place and power , which is now taking place. There is no doubt at all about the desirability of Mr Churchill’s solution. Its accomplishment is another matter.