CLEAR WARNINGS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19979, 3 July 1939, Page 5

CLEAR WARNINGS

POLAND’S DEFENCE ASSISTANCE IF NEEDED BRITAIN AND FRANCE POSITION DEEMED GRAVE GITA N C ELI .0 R’S R E AIIX DE R S (Klee. T-'l. Copyright— Ihiilcd I’l'i'ss Assn.) (Hritl.sli Official Wireless.) Rccd. 9 a.m. RUGBY, July 1. While alarmist speculations regarding Danzig are discounted and deprecated in London, official quarters have made clear that the situation •is being closely and continuously .watched! .in, ..with. ...the French Government.

The French Cabinet held a meeting ito-day iat which, it understood, Lhe position was reviewed. Neither 'in Paris nor London, however, do the events, which are known to have occurred, nor the developments which are forecast with or without (foundation in the reports from abroad, call for any new decision. So far as the British Government is concerned, its attitude was defined dearly and definitely in (the declaration by -the Prime Mnister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, on March 31 that “In event of any -action, which clearly threatened Polish independence land which the Polish Government accordingly considered it vital tto resist with her national forces, His Majesty's Government would feel itself •bound at once to lend the Polish Government all the support in its power.” No New Declaration The only concern in official circles here at the -present time is that the unequivocal definition, of British commitments -and British intentions should not be forgotten in any quarter. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir John Simon, referred to the international situation, in a speech at Sheffield. He said: “The situation is serious, even gr-aVe, but 1 have no new declaration to make.

“The Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax, on Thursday, spoke not only Ki-r the British Government but for the British people and also for a large part -of the world outside the British commonwealth. His statement was not provocative, but firm ■and clear.

"There are States, great and powerful. which have been built up on the basis of the belief, and which proclaim -the -belief that -a democracy is pound to be weak -and that strength can be > shown only by the peoples which submit (to orders from -above, -but there is -a unity -and strength of purpose -and comradeship in- the British constitution, and its freedom -to the individual which cannot _ be round under any other form of Government.

“In the days before us, however, difficult 'they may be, it will be our special mission to prove that again true to the whole world.”