'We Must Continue to Arm'

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 77, 23 December 1937, Page 5

'We Must Continue to Arm'

-Press Assn.—

BRITAIN'S POLICY Only Way to Secure Arms Agreement MR. EDEN'S DECLARATION

(By Telegraph-

■Copyright.)

(Eeceived 23, 8.45 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 22. Mr Anthony Eden, Foreign Secretary, in winding up the debate on foreign affairs in the House of Commons, stated that there would he no assuranee of lasting peaee in the world until international order and limitation of armaments generally were accepted. " Britain must do all she honOurably can to restore peace and do her full share with others howard the fulfilment of her international obligations," Mr Eden pointed out. "She must also protect British .nterests and territory. "We must be patient yet firm and conciliatory without being defeatist, and we must continue to arm, because it is the only way to get an arms agreement. That is a policy the country will endorse, and which she will continue to pursue." Mr Eden denied that Britain would countenance colonial settlement at other's expense. Sanctions in the East. He declared that effeetive League sanctions in the Far East meant the risk, if not the certainty of war. "I say deliberately we should not contemplate any action of the kind unless we are convinced that we have overwhelming force to back our policy,' ' he declared. "It must be perfectly clear to everyone that overwhelming force does not exist. Any course of action in the Far East must depeud on the co-opera-tion of other nations besides members of the League."

Mr Winston Churchill said that the decision of several important countries was hanging in the balance as to whether they would join the totalitarian Powers or stand by the League. They were not looking to Britain to fight their battles but to keep the flag flying in the interests of democracy and parliamentary government. If they thought Britain was making terms at the expense either of small nations or large conceptions the knell of despair would resound in many parts of Europe. Lord Halifax's visit to Herr Hitl-er had caused widespread eommotion, said Mr Churchill. The final result, however, was not only an improvement iu British and German relation but a reaffirmation of British and French solidarity. "I have the greatest confidence in our relations with Franee, which are foanded on the power of the Freneh Army and the British Fleet and the desire of both countries to keep themselves and others from war," he addcd. Colonies Issue. Discussing colonies, Mr Churchill said that Britain must not be singled out for saerifices. Many people in Britain were willing to make saerifices to meet the German wishes if they were assured it would mean genuine and lasting peaee, but they would not yield a scrap of territory just to keep the Nazi kettle boiling. He added that the League had not been weakened by the departure of Italy, who had broken every agreement and rq^oiced in mocking every League principle. The Liberal leader, Sir Archibald Sinclair, who followed Mr Chamberlain, took up the latter's remark — replying to the interjection of Mr Attlee — that Britain could not be the policeman of the world alone and that the Opposition was blind to the fact that other countries had refused to rally to the British lead in support of the League. Sir Arehibald thought this statement was in itself a conf ession of the f ailure of the Government's foreign policy. He called for a strong policy in defence of British interests in the Far East.