FOREIGN POLICY.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 April 1921, Page 5

FOREIGN POLICY.

ATTITUDE OF AUSTRALIA. SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS. ANGLO-JAPANESE alliance. By Telegraph.—Press Assn—Copyright. Melbourne, April 8. In the House of Representatives, Mr. W. M. Hughes, in a speech on the foreign policy at the Imperial Conflerence, said there could be no Empire under a Republican Government. The future peace of the world depended on some understanding between America, (England and France in securing the friendship of Japan. * We could not make an enemy of America. The Dominions should have a voice in the Empire’s foreign policy. He could not accept the Anglo-Japanese policy if it involved sacrifices. The treaty would not be worth anything if' the British Navy sank to the level of a fleet of a second-rate Power. Mr. Hughes said the Commonwealth Parliament at the Imperial Conference would not be committed to a penny expenditure over the naval scheme, which would be brought before Parliament and rejected or accepted. For Australia there was no alternative to participation in the scheme of Imperial naval defence. In the interests of Australia it was important that the Japanese treaty should be renewed in some modified form acceptable to Britain, America and. Japan. There would be no dis cussion of constitutional matters at the June conference. Next year they would deal with that. «

The League of Nations was an unwieldy, clumsy contrivance. There was only one way to prevent war, and that was for the world to turn its back upon it. *

FRIENDSHIP WITH JAPAN. DIFFICULTY OVER POLICY. Received April 8, 8.15 p.m. Melbourne, April 8. In the House of Representatives, Mr. Hughes, elaborating his arguments in connection with the Japanese treaty, said the Japanese conceived they had complaints against us because of our “White Australia” policy; but whatever restrictions were imposed against Japan operated against all nations, including Britain. Because Australia passed certain laws it was not done out of disdespeet for Japan, but merely because of a difference in ideals. He reminded Japan that she had passed stringent laws in relation to foreigners. We desired to live at peace with Japan and retain her friendship and trade if possible. Asked if it was not Australia’s bounden duty to use every means at her disposal to secure a renewal of the AngloJapanese treaty, Mr. Hughes replied that we could not, in attempting to retain our friendship with Japan, make an enemy of America. Somehow matters would be smoothed out, and he advised members to say nothing in the debate that might be misconstrued.—Aus. and N.Z. Cable Assn.