The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast limes. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1929. THE HAGUE CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast limes. TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 1929. THE HAGUE CONFERENCE

The Hague .Conference, convened to ueal wnn cue I’d dug Plan, opened uuuer very stormy auspices. tue outset Mr Miowueny speaiving for Britain, quite ligutiy gave the uelega.es to understand that' fie he would not., accept tiie loung Plan' in its present .or 111. But unroituiiately • he is nut - diet kind of man who ca’ri put dn un- ■ remark 111 a pleasant way. rhe bitterness that too biten intrudes mto .Mr bnowdeii’s public speeches came out strongly in his comments on the many concessions that I !Britain has made uud her prodigious efforts' duf- ; mg' andsmceTliewar. Much of what ne said is literally true. But when he told las hearers that the attitude they had taken up was “ridiculous and grotesque,” arid 1 reminded them ! that Britdin had come into the. war to help others' and not to protect her own material interests, •he exceeded, considers aii Auckland writer; the 'ordinary limits of diplomatic decorum. 1 Quite apart from the traditions. ,of diplomacy, which always infuse *. ednI siueraoie element tof formal politeness into such discussions,' the aridre nee ivas not used to this sort of thing from a British delegate. Frenchmen and Italians, and Belgians, accustomed to the cosmopolitan polish of Lord Balfour or the dignified courtesy of Sir Austen Chamberlain, or the Kindly geniality of Mr Baldwin, star- . ed aghast at this sudden outburst oi' ■' fluent acririiony, and the results were certainly not what might have been desired by those who want to see the Reparations question settled once and for all. The climax of the tense -situation that Mr Snowden had worked ,up came in a form that might have been tragic if it had not been really humor-' ous. |Af ter. > this conference, “in the. interests of.world peace,’ ’. had adjourned, a meeting of French, Italian, Belg.an and Japanese delegates decided clnit'Mr Snowden had reflected on'the honour of France in the person of M. Cheroii, its representative, and accordingly two of, the Belgian delegates, acting as his seconds, waited upon‘Mr Snowden with a. formal demand for an apology. At first Mr Snowden, who boasts of 'his Yorkshire tenacity,; was inclined to be obdurate. But happily wiser counsels prevailed, and' “a formula” was found by. which French honour y;as satisfied.”. Thus the world was deprived of a spectacle which, if it had rib serious result,, might have enabled some rising journalist' to" rival Mark Twain’s inimitable account of the v .duel between. Gambetta and Fourtout. But though, he has nyt actually met his* opponent on “the field of honour,’’Mr Snowden will probably relain for a long time the distinction,of being the only British Minister in niodern times who has, received a challenge to a duel in the discharge of his official duties. But discounting the rather acrid humour of the situation and regretting as • we 1 must ,Mr Snowden’s somewhat: disconcerting manners, most readers, will agree that our Chancellor of the Exchequer deserves the thanks of his country for his frankness and CQurage. Fo far as Reparations are concerned, it is perfectly - accurate to say that Britain' has made immense, concessions to liermllies and to Germany, arid that :f .any; further readjustment of. the Reparations payments is necessary, Britain should not-be the sufferer. Some of the 'French newspapers are apparent,ly beginning ' to, feel \ that there is something in the British,.case -after, all.' “L’Avenir’ most unfairly suggests that Mr . Eriowden has demanded a revision of the annuities at France’s expense. The truth,' of .course, is that, in spite of an agreement that the Spa percentages shoukEnot be altered, the Young Plan would reduce Britain’s.share while'increasing the payments to France and Italy.: , Brit though a section of French public, opiriion may be intractable, Mrs Snbwden has-evidently produced some impression by in interview in . “Le Journal,” in which she appeals for justice to Britain. This is notthe first' time that Mrs Snowden has succeeded in modifying public sentiment where her “lord and master” has failed, and if Mr Snowden’s health, is drunk in England, the tonst should certainly he “coupled with the name of” his wife. But in any case Mr Snowden has won great kudos for his work and certainly made history for his stand at The Hague., a -