EFFORTS FOR PEACE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 May 1938, Page 7

EFFORTS FOR PEACE

STATEMENT BY THE BRITISH PRIME MINISTER JUST SETTLEMENT DESIRED. REPRESENTATIONS TO BOTH PARTIES. (Recd This Day, 9.50 a.m.) LONDON, May 23. In the House of Commons Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Neville Chamberlain, replying to the Leader of the Opposition, Major the Rt Hon C. R. Attlee, recapitulated the events leading up to the Czechoslovakian situation, and said the British Government’s principal concern had been to use all its influence on the side of restraint, in word and deed, keeping open the way to peaceful negotiation and a satisfactory settlement. The British Government had represented to the German Government the urgent importance of reaching a settlement with a view to preserving European peace and had also expressed an earnest desire that the German Government should co-operate with Britain in facilitating an agreement. Britain J’.ad simultaneously informed Germany that the same advice had been ten iered to Prague and that assurances of co-operation had been received from the Czech Government. Mr Chamberlain a«'*ded that Herr von Ribbentrop had stated that he welcomed Britain’s efforts, as the German Government fully shares Britain’s desire that negotiations should succeed.

Earlier, Mr Chamberlain, replying to Mr A. Henderson, said: “I am unable to state the terms of the Czech Government’s written reply to the English and French Ministers, which is confidential, but Czechoslovakia welcomed the Anglo-French interest and assured us of an intention of reaching a just and equitable settlement.” RUMOURS AND DENIALS. ALLEGATIONS OF FRONTIER VIOLATION. (Recd This Day, 9.50 a.m.) BERLIN, May 23. It is alleged that a Czech military aeroplane flew over the frontier of

Annaberg and later crashed in flames in Czechoslovakia.

The Czechs deny the violation of the frontier.

The German newspapers have begun a new campaign of attacks on Czechoslovakia in connection with Berhartsthal bridge report (mentioned in a cablegram published above).