DEFEATED ENEMIES’ TREATMENT

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 189, 9 May 1944, Page 5

DEFEATED ENEMIES’ TREATMENT

No 1.L.0. Intervention In Allied Plans

DEBATE BY COMMITTEE (By Telegraph.—Press Aissu. —Copyright.) PHILADELPHIA, May 7. A special sub-committee of the International Labour Office conference, by nine votes to two, adopted a hands-olt attitude toward the administrations to be established in Germany and other Axis countries as they are reoccupied. Russia's absence acted as a factor in the decision of the committee. The British Government delegate, sir Frederick Leggett, denounced the United States employees’ delegate, Mr. Robert Watt, for suggesting that any of the United Nations, in given circumstances, might have acted as Germany did. Sir Frederick said that England did not envisage a cruel peace. “All we want,’ he said, “is to apply simple Christianity—that repentance conies before forgiveness. The United Nations will wish to decide what is going to be carried out in the. Axis Countries. My Government is not willing to make it appear that. we are taking up matters of high policy without the presence of such an important ally as Russia.” Loud applause greeted Sir Walter Citrine when he said : “There must be some punishment for the millions of German workers who, at least by tacit approval, have made Germany’s conduct of the war possible. The bulk of the German workers must have supported the Nazi atrocities. You can make excuses till you are black in the face, but the majority of the Germans voted to put Hitler into power. We are heading for a third world war unless we can find a mechanism to make the German workers understand. Russia will take the strongest possible position against ex parte decisions. Furthermore, how can we talk of these things even before the peace-making machinery is roughed out'?” Neutrals and Peace Table. Sir Walter Citrine challenged the right of neutral countries to be represented at the conference to participate in the making of peace. He said he wanted to reserve all the power of the British trade unions for application, at the time when it would be most effective. Mr. Clarey (Australia) urged that the matter be dealt with straight away, and warned that to take too stern an attitude toward Germany would merely give the Nazis more material for fear propaganda. A sub-committee on displaced persons unanimously recommended to the conference that a special technical committee be organized to handle the question of guaranteeing the social security rights of the 10,000,000 workers who have been taken into Germany from other countries.