The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1929. THE PEACE MISSION.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 October 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1929. THE PEACE MISSION.

The British Prime Minister is now on the eve of returning to England from his pence mission to the United States. Mr MacDonald has had a strenuous- time, and will be pleased to have a brief respite before undertaking the return voyage.. He lias, been required to speak on so many occasions; in the United -States and Canada concerning tho mission in which he was engaged that he may

well have found it a tax on his ima-

} gination I to evolve anything fresh to say on the subject. He has been able to discuss disarmament and the promotion of the interests'of world peace in general teiifisJ? «hiy. WKat • his I American visit may have accomplished says the Otago-. Times, cannot be precisely estimated: -It has no doubt beep a' success as such episodes are measured. It.:was- to ibe expected that Mr Ramsay' MacDonald would make ;,a, goodn/fijnpression ;0n ; the Americane, and it, ipay ,be supposed that some considerable part of the population ofctlie United States, in addit.on to the President * >; read or istened to his speeches and noted his ientiments with a good, deal of satisfaction,. -It may - iue. suggested, of course, that merei>tailed-and that has has been Mr MacDonad’s principal business in America—does not count for :much. ‘ But in this matter of promoting harmonious, international .relationships and peace it must be conceded, that confessions of faith do count and that a lead must be given in overtures of goodwill and appeals for confidence As a “specialist in peace,” to use his own description of his role in the United States, Mr Ramsay MacDonald will not be denied credit for his efforts. The note of optimism in his speeches may nave appeared high, and to have been built upon little mote than the shadows of realities, but no great cause was ever advanced without a considerable show of enthusiasm.. (Mr MacDonald has spoken a good deal in Canada regarding the Empire’s responsibility. In his American speeches it was impossible thai he should speak for- Great Britain only as apart from the Empire at large and the dominions will not be disposed 1 to fin 3 fault with the sentiments to which he gave* expression either specifically or by implication on their behalf. So far as the British Government may exert itself to. play a leading part in the promotion of world .peace, it can depend on the cordial support of the governments of the dominions always provided that they are consulted and that their assent is not taken for granted, for the national status that has been accorded to them has made them somewhat sensitive in respect oi their | r'glits and privileges. The feature of the British Government’s policy in which the dominions are particularly interested, is, of course, that which relates .to the security of the Empire, and they aVe not apprehensive that any Brit’sh Government would be foolish enough to ignore the realities of Empire security for the sake of setting an example to a possibly indifferent world. Agreements without confidence, says Mr Ramsay MacDonald, are only scraps of paper. Too often that may be so, but the creation of confidence among nations is, as experience has shewn, a task of perplexing difficulty. Mr MacDonald has not oeen too emphatic—perhaps he has scarcely been emphatic enoneh—in representing the transition period as one that created • a great problem which has to be delicately handled. “We have to lead the world gently across the differences,” he has said, “and the crossing must b"6" made ns happy and as confident as possible, until we come smiling over to where real peace and security may be enjoyed.” In such a picture the idealist has found express;on. To return to practical considerations, if Great Britain and the Unit-

ed States are to be Better friends as a result of Mr MacDonald’s mission, and if the cause of disarmament is thereby to be advanced, then someth.ng worth while will have been accomplished But disarmament and security cannot be dissociated, and it is not entirely easy to see that anything much can be achieved in the direction of disarmament ./until international agreement is reached in application of the principles of ‘limitation and reduction, not to any particular arm,, out to armaments as a whole.