MOSCOW ARRESTS

Hokitika Guardian, 5 April 1933, Page 5

MOSCOW ARRESTS

RUSSIAN IMPORTS

BRITAIN’S PROPOSED MEASURE.

(United Press. Association—By Electric

Telegraph—Copyright!

LONDON, April 3

The Prime Minister announced ii Parliament that to-morrow the Govern ment will submit a bill which it i proposed to put through . all. stages oi Wednesday, giving the Governmen powers to deal with the importation o: goods from Russia into this eouijitry It was proposed to pass the bill • intc law at the earliest possible moment. If an embargo on Russian imports is imposed, .Australia’s and New Zealand’s butter and dairy produce wil benefit slightly, but Russia’s internal plight lias now virtually nullified most of her imports. Britain’s butter glut will not be greatly relieved.. /MINISTERS DISCUSS ARRESTS. SUGGESTED TRADE RESTRICTION. RUGBY, April 3. . Sir Esmond Ovey attended a meeting of Ministers, who have been engaged In dealing with the -position ol British subjects. Mr , Y ansittart also attended. ... The subject wag raised this afternoon in Parliamentary questions in the House of Commons. ( Mr Lansbury asked whether* the correspondence arid conversatibfik 1 between the British ambassador and ! M. Litvinoff, and between the Russian Ambassador and' the British Government, would be presented in a white paper. The Prime Minister said that' thefullest possible information would be imparted to the House, in a statement on- the second ; reading. In any event, the trade agreement with Russia lapsed on the ’ 17th, •'and'- - something must be done to set up a system ol trade. Regarding'the diplomatic conversations’which had taken place, 'it would be improper and unusual, in the middle of the negotiations, to publish statements. The Bill wris purely an enabling Bill. * ' Sir Herbert Samuel alsp asked for a white paper, but the ' Prime Minister said that it would not be in the interests of accused for a statement to he made fit that moment. It might be made to-morrow. The Prime Minister said that a bill would be ’presented to-niorrow to take powers, to deal with the importation of Russian goods into this country. It was proposed to pass the Bill through all its stages on Wednesday, with a view to its passage into, law ht the earliest possible moment, ft was necessary to pass tile bill before the Easter recessi

A PfiKGAIfTIONAlt Y MEASURE. RATHER THAN PUNITIVE. LONDON, April Jt. “The Daily Telegraph“ says: “The Bill which has been announced, by Mr MacDonald wtll contain only one operative clause, empowering the prohibition of the importation of Russian goods, except under license, if Ministers think thi s desirable. There' will be no mention of any particular classes of goods The Govfrnment; $f so disposed, can. under th. 2 , Bill, impose a complete embargo after April 17th., when the trade agreement with Russia expires.” It is asserted in quarters that are connected with the Government that this move should be regarded as a precautionary one, rather than ns a punitive measure. It was hinted last night that it may not, after all be necessary to use the powers under the Bill. INSPIRATION OF THE EMBARGO. LONDON, April 4. “The Times” says: “It) became clear six months ago that if the Ottawa agreements are not to be illusory, steps, must be taken -to curb the power of the Soviet to disorganise the world markets in commodities like wheat and timber. There can be no doubt that the drastic arid elastic procedure that is contemplated in this new Bill is better suited to the vagaries of Anglo-Russia trade than any new trade agreement that could he negotiated. There is an unanswerable case for this Bill, apart from the arrest of the engineers.” .. ,7 SIR E. OVEY VISITS KING. (Received this dav at 9.40 a.m. ) LONDON, April 4. The King gave an audience to Sir Esmond Ovey.