MacDonald Departs

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 791, 11 October 1929, Page 9

MacDonald Departs

WASHINGTON’S FAREWELL

People Deeply Impressed LEADERS SUM UP PEACE PROGRESS (United P.A.—* By Telegraph—CopyrightJ Australian and N.Z. Press Association (United Service) Received 9 a.m. WASHINGTON, Thursday. HIS mission of peace accomplished, and the message of British goodwill delivered, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald bade farewell to the capital of the United States and departed on his long, homeward journey. The sincerity which has so captured the imagination of official and unofficial Washington was more apparent than ever in the head of the British Government, as he said ’ Good-bye” to the representatives of President Hoover at the railway station, before leaving for Philadelphia. Coinciding- with his departure, the United States Government formally accepted Britain’s invitation to participate in the Five-Powers’ Naval Conference at London in January.

In the course of an interview the Prime Minister said lie had achieved more than he had hoped to do in his talks with President Hoover. They had agreed to keep the Kellogg Pact in front of them to use for the purpose of coming to an agreement on subjects which had defied agreement up to now.

In consequence, Mr. MacDonald said, he would take back to London a series of questions, all of which now would be the subjefct of study by the various departments concerned, and of consideration between the Dominions and the British Government, with the object of coming to an agreement upon them. At the station, a large throng gathered to obtain a final glimpse of Mr. MacDonald and Ishbel. Mr. MacDonald thus addressed them.: “X am sorry to be leaving you.” His visit to Philadelphia is unofficial, being purely for the purpose of lunching with Dr. S. Solis-Cohen, who treated him for bronchial trouble in 1927. Those treatments were so successful that Mr. MacDonald never forgot the services the physician performed. Immediately the luncheon ends, Mr. MacDonald will px-oceed to New York. Washington has been captivated by the British Prime Minister’s personality and frankness, and wherever he went he was cheered in the streets by all who recognised him. WAR BANISHED “Our conversations were based on the assumption that war between Great Britain and the United States has been banished, and that consequently a satisfactory solution of the old historical problems between the nations has become possible,” said a joint statement issued on Wednesday evening by President Hoover and Mr. MacDonald. The problems referred to in the statement were not specified, but. there is little doubt that the principal one was the freedom of the seas, which has been the cause of many controversies in the past. A brief explanatory introduction, to the statement said President Hoover and Mr. MacDonald were highly gratlfied by the keen interest taken by the peoples of the two countx-ies in their meeting. They regarded it as proof of the desire of each nation for a closer understanding bfetween Britain and America. OLD DISTRUST ENDED “Our conversations have been largely confined to the mutual relations between our two countries in the light of the situation created by the signing of the Kellogg Pact,” the statement proceeded. “Therefore, in a new and reinforced sense, our two Governments not only declai-e that

war between them is unthinkable, but that the distrust and suspicion which arose from the doubts and fears, which may have been justified before the Kellogg Pact, must now cease to influence our national policy. “Active consideration by our two countries of the problems is now to be taken up in a manner similar to that followed during the naval negotiations in London between Mr. MacDonald and General C. G. Dawes, United States Ambassador to Britain. “Through the continuation of our candid conversations on the naval problem we predict that mutual understandings will be reached which will make possible an agreement at the Five Powers’ Naval Conference in January. We hope the steps we have taken to secure peace will be welcomed by the peoples whom we represent.” SOME DISAPPOINTMENT There is no escaping the feeling that the joint statement issued by Mr. MacDonald and Pi-esident Hoover is disappointing to those who had reason to expect that it would give in faii-Iy definite terms the topics discussed. It is known that originally the statement was much longer but was cut down after consultation, specific information being deleted. This was done for obvious political reasons. While Mr. MacDonald was here he was in daily telephonic communication with Downing Street. Of course it is known that fuller consulation with his Cabinet will be necessai-y before it can be disclosed to the public what he and the President discussed. It is understood that Mi-. MacDonald and President Hoover also considered the question of Allied debts, but it is believed that it was more in the nature of an academic consideration. It is also believed the two leaders concluded that the question of the freedom of the seas would find its solution in the Kellogg Pact. The world may expect the enunciation of a new doctrine concerning the rights of neutral shipping in time of war which will take account of the sensibilities of both nations with respect to their traditional policies. The feeling is that the conversations constituted a remarkable beginning to further diplomatic discussions which will have extremely important results.

Mr. W. E. Borah, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate, who is a vigorous advocate of the freedom of the seas, said he had enjoyed a vei-y satisfactory talk with Mr. MacDonald at the British Embassy. However, he refused to discuss the meeting in detail.