“A BLUNDERER”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 610, 12 March 1929, Page 9

“A BLUNDERER”

Rothermere Attacks Sir Austen U.S. ALIENATED LONDON, March 5. A vigorous attack on the British Foreign Minister, Sir Austen Chamberlain, is a feature of a dispatch which Lord Rothermere, chief proprietor of the “Daily Mail,” cables from New York. Lord Rothermere emphasises the importance of the removal of “the present increasing estrangement in Anglo-American relations.” “'JMIB British Foreign Office, under its present chief,” he says, “has failed to grasp the paramount importance of the basis of our foreign policy —the maintenance of a most cordial Anglo-American understanding. Blunder succeeded blunder, beginning with the failure of the Geneva Naval Conference, which bewildered the British public. “Sir Austen Chamberlain’s only reply to criticisms was that thero had been a want of preparation on the part of the British Government. Instead of arranging a further conference, the Foreign Office entered into what was practically a secret pact with France, covering almost the identical ground set down for negotiation at Geneva. THAT BIG NAVY MOVE “The United States Government immediately developed a greater Navy program me. ‘ The most recent, example of British bungling is the Foreign Minister’s repudiation of the happy announcement of tho British Ambussador at Washington (Sir Esme Howard), that Britain was willing to confer on the question of limitation of armanents. “We are at the turning point in our relations with the United States, and now that the electorate is aroused it should insist on the immediate clarilication of relations with the Power for which, above all, the British people feels a most profound regard and esteem.

“The Government should approach the United States with a clear pronouncement of its willingness to discuss the relative sizes of the English and American fleets and all phases of maritime law, including blockade and contraband. At present the blockade law might be extremely prejudicial to Britain, because it would entitle a belligerent naval Power to cut off all our resources of overseas food. HANDS OFF FOOD! “The main principle of future naval agreements should be that a blockade is not applicable to foodstuffs in neutral bottoms. Such ships should be entitled to discharge in any port. “The Government must expect a furthe decrease in its supporters if it goes to the country leaving AngloAmerican relations in their present unsatisfactory state. Americans deplore as strongly as we do the misunderstandings that are allowed to arise and would welcome closer friendship with Britain, whose turn it is to propose a new conference. This is elementary common sense, because real naval competition between England and America is economically impossible. “The United States has more than half the world's wealth, and it is increasing with unbelievable rapidity. “Her warships to-day resemble floating factories. I recently saw a naval engineer’s plan which seemed to show the use of mechanical devices which could reduce the personnel of war vessels by 50 per cent., largely obviating the difficultv of manning the American Navy. “Before the Govei'nmerrt engages in the election it should do what it can to repair blunders of its misguided American policy.”