The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1927. THE RAID AND TRADE.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 1927. THE RAID AND TRADE.

So far as British affairs are concerned there is no doubt that the raid on Soviet House eclipsed all other events of the past period, not only in dramatic interest, but in political importance. One can hardly imagine, says a writer in an exchange, that anybody takes seriously the protestations of innocence the Soviet Government has issued. Not only is the evidence of conspiracy and seditious intrigue overwhelmingly strong, but everything that has been done through Soviet House is entirely in accord with the declared policy of the Bolsheviks and the countless threats and warnings that thev have sent forth during the past ten years to the world at large. Those who still hold that the Soviet envoys in Britain, along with “Arcos, Ltd." were simply engaged in the peaceful performance of legitimate diplomatic or commercial business seem beyond the reach of argument, and it is simply waste of time to reason with them. One of the most unfortunate features of the episode is the extent to which

the different sections of the Opposition have endeavoured to make political capital out- of the raid. The Lahour “left-wingers” practically assert that the Bn'sheviks, as usual, are telling the truth and that tile Conservatives. as usual, are lying; and the farewell luncheon that they tendered the .Soviet envoys at the House of Commons enables us to estimate accurately enough the tone and temper of their contributions to the debate, and the measure of their public spirit. Mr Ramsay MacDonald and the Labour moderates, though they themselves had solemnly warned the Bolsheviks that they must abstain from propagandism under penalty of expulsion, can see nothing hut stupidity and injustice combined in the Soviet House raid. As for the surviving members of the Liberal Party, if Air Lloyd George is to be accepted as their spokesman, they too can find ill the whole incident only a good opportunity to embarrass and misrepresent their political opponents. The outcome of it all is that Britain has severed not only commercial, but diplomatic relations with Bnssia. So far as diplomacy is concerned, there is certainly nothing to be gained by maintaining professedly amicable intercourse with a. Government which systematically breaks its most solemn pledges and deals freely in treachery, corruption and revolutionary propaganda under the mask of friendship. As to the commercial loss that Britain may sustain through the closing down of the Soviet Trade Coinmisvion, there are several sides to Lliis question. Air G. Terrill (president of the National Union of Manufacturers) iias pointed out that Britain was selling to Russia only £1 worth of goods for every £3 worth that she bought from Russia, so that the balance was heavily on Russia’s side. Further, the British Creditors’ Association lias recently drawn attention to the fact tliat “British owners of Russian property have been seeing their products .sold in England under the Anglo-Russian trade agreement and they have had no redress.’’ Britain's industrial ami commercial investments in Russia in 1917 amounted to £50.000,000; and as practically all this property lias been confiscated by the Soviet Government, which lias also repudiated Russia’s war debt to Britain to the amount of about £700.000,000, the advantage of dea'ing with people obsessed with such entirely original notions about honesty and commercial morality seems more apparent than real,