BRITISH POLITICS.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 April 1930, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

IN THE COM MONS

INTERPRETATION OF ARTICLE 16 OF LEAGUE COVENANT. -

(Official Wireless.)

(Received this day at 10 a.m.) RUGBY, April 7. Mr Godfrey Locker-Lamps-n, Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs in llie late Conservative Government, moved this evening in the Commons the adjournment of tbe House “on a definite matter of urgent ptiblic importance, namely tbe imminence of tbe agreement between the Government and Foreign Powers, regarding the interpretation to be placed on

Article 16 of the Covenant of th

League of Nations without any consultation with the Council of the League, and thereby engendering suspicion and endangering good relations with other Powers.” The Prime Minister replying, said lie was being asked whether if there was any re-interpretation to bo made, he would consult other members of the Council of the League and give the House an opportunity of considering the matter before any agreement, in-

volving such re-interpretation was entered into. If lie gave a pledge of that character it would amount to

this, that it would .’be quite impossible for this Government or any other Government to exchange views or express its .views regarding the meaning of the Article, which was some-

what vague in its meaning as between France and ourselves, Germany and ourselves or Czecho-Slovakia and ourselves. Ho could not make such a pledge and what was more- there could not be such a pledge.

The Prime Minister continued:— Reference has boon made to certain •ork that wc have in hand just now. f we do discuss Article 16, all that

it amounts to is that one says to the other, what meaning do we individ-

ually attach to Article 16 at Locarno? That was not the case at Locarno.

Germany wanted assurance as to what obligations it would ibe undertaking if it joined the League of Nations. That is a very serious thing, and that is the absolute interpretation, which I say straight away, oan only

be made by the Council of the League, if it is going to have any binding authority at all, but at Locarno that interpretation was given by Powers other than Germany represented there, and the interpretation was a new one in its language, which was not found in the Covenant of the League. It was handed to Germany at a guarantee and initialled and approved at the Annex Treaty, J am not raising that in any controversial spirit, but as a matter of history. No one knows better than Mr Locker-Lampson. No Prime Minister or Foreign Secretary can give the pledge which he asks for. All we oan do is to say that, having ascertained as far as we humanly can. the opinion of the country and the opinion of the House, negotiations and discussions on these subjects will be conducted with that opinion well in mind, and never forgotten at any stage. We have been doing our l>est during the last two and a half months.”

Mr MacDonald added that if the leaders of the parties consulted him, he would tell them exactly the state of affairs. This would not commit either of them to support him, but they would understand the difficulties.

Sir Samuel Hoare (Conservative) said he would convey the Prime Minister’s suggestion to Mr Baldwin. The Liberal Leader (Air Lloyd George) also accepted the" proposal because it was very desirable the foreign policy should not be tbe subject of controversy between parties. Air Locker Lampson consequently withdrew his motion.