“Taranaki Central Press” THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1937. MR. EDEN ON WORLD PEACE.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 333, 14 January 1937, Page 4

“Taranaki Central Press” THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 1937. MR. EDEN ON WORLD PEACE.

There was force behind Mr. Athony Eden’s speech on World Peace, given at a dinner in London yesterday and reported in our columns to-day. That was particularly apparent in his reference to British rearmament. While explaining that Britain did not wish to spend money on armaments, at the same time she realised that the equipment of war was necessary to her national safety and could "show as stubborn determination as any other nation in reequipment.”

Such a statement bears out the idea which has been given to New Zealand by a number of influential visitors from overseas in recent months—that an armed Britain is a real contribution to European and World Peace, an unarmed Britain is but a contribution to war.

Britain, with the help of France, is the bulwark against a European war. Mr. EcJen threw out a strong hint to the Fascists of Europe when he said, We are told that it is not heroic to support democracy, and that Europe is now entering on a heroic age. By all means let us have heroism, but let us regard Europe as a land for heroes to live in, not merely to die in. Let us not confuse heroism and heroics."

In those words Mr. Eden attacked current Fascist national philosophy. Fascism in any of the European forms in which it is found is an active and energetic creed, one which glorifies might in itself. In Mr. Eden's words, it is a creed of heroics, and heroics can easily lead to war.

Similarly with the political creed of Rusia, be it classed as Communism or any form of socialistic ism. It is a threat to established order, just as much as is Fascism. Russia is building for herself an artificial heroism which is fighting, just as is Fascism, for expression beyond her own borders. Every Fascist State and every Communist State is at the moment a threat to world peace.

Against those threats only two great European nations stand. Britain and France, by virtue of their opposition to a common ideology, carry the responsibility of keeping the peace of Europe. To do that, Britain and France must be strong in the equipment of war. France is always strong. Britain is rapidly building for that purpose. She may prefer "butter to guns/’ but intends to have the guns and plenty of them.

Meanwhile, as Mr. Eden said, Britain is prepared to do her best by economic co-operation and by working for European appeasement to secure that others have butter, 100, in a world which has no need of guns.