Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1939. DISCUSSIONS IN ROME.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 11 January 1939, Page 4

Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1939. DISCUSSIONS IN ROME.

ACCORDING to a-British Official Wireless message received

.yesterday, no agenda lias been fixed for the conversations which are to take place in Rome between Mr (,'haniberlain. and Lord Halifax and Signor Mussolini. The conversations, it was added, will be ■ confined to exchanges of views. tn these circumstances, an open field has been left for speculation, and enterprising use has been made in London, Rome and elsewhere of the opportunity thus created.

With the conversations opening, or about to open, it is of interest to note that diametrically opposed estimates are current in London and in Rome of the probable scope and trend of discussion. In London, all commentators who have been quoted in the news cablegrams take it for granted that Mr. Chamberlain will stand loyally by France and will refuse Io have anything to do with Italy’s demands on that country. On the other hand, it is reported from Rome that: —-

Fascist circles claim that if Mr. Camberlain refuses to mediate between Italy and France, it is very likely that Signor Mussolini will urge a four Power meeting, similar to that at Munich, to discuss revisionist claims.

For what it is worth, this implies that the Italian dictatorship assumes that Mr. Chamberlain and his collcages are visiting Rome, not to engage in a friendly exchange of views, but to mediate between Italy and France in regard to claims by Italy which France, with Britain’s full support, has declined even Io consider.

It must be hoped that Mr. Chamberlain has taken every care to safeguard himself against being drawn into any such false and impossible position. Apart from the question of loyalty to France, on which there can be no compromise, it would be a deplorable outcome of appeasement efforts to give >Signor Mussolini any pretext for alleging grievances and urging the assemblage of a four Power' conference on the Munich model. This would amount to nothing else than giving the. Italian dictator an opportunity of setting the stage for another attempt to extort concessions by menaces.

Whatever may be said or left unsaid at Ronle, the simple fact needs to be kept in mind that Italy broke away from the Anglo-Italian Agreement in even raising claims against France. It is true that. Italy has not thus far advanced these claims officially, but she has allowed them to be made the subject of an inflammatory campaign in her controlled Press, and now the claims are being discussed ’and asserted by the Italian and German newspapers as if they had a place in the established order of things.

Taking account also of Italy’s bad faith in continuing her aggression in Spain, the gravest doubts must be entertained as to the moral justification and tactical wisdom of the visit of the British Ministers to Rome. Had Italy withdrawn her troops from Spain and abstained from provocative agitation against France, an excellent foundation would have been laid

for peace discussions. The course the Fascist dictatorship has actually followed might well, have been regarded as making discussion unprofitable and impossible.

Admittedly speculative statements have been published in London that the Birtish Ministers and Signor Mussolini will discuss, amongst other things, the Jewish refugee problem, general aspects of the European outlook, and: “Economic questions, which will be discussed if Italy indicates a readiness 1o collaborate in turning swords into ploughshares.”

There would be no Jewish refugee problem if Germany, with Italy now following her lead, had not singled out the Jews, entirely without valid reason or excuse, for barbarous persecution and outrage. The only basis on which discussion of 1 his problem in Rome seems to be worth while is that the problem would not arise if Germany and Italy were prepared to bo guided by common justice and reason.

As to economic questions, any discussion will be rather pointless if it fails to set full emphasis on the fact that it is freely open to Ihe totalitarian States immensely to improve their economic position simply by turning from war-mongering to measures of peaceful construction. The people of Italy, like those of Germany, are being overworked and underfed in order that military power and equipment may be expanded to a maximum. The idea that the totalitarian States are suffering economic injustice at the hands of the rest of Hie world is a fable invented by the dictators for their own purposes. The people of Italy, and the people of Germany, are suffering deprivation and hardship because they are constrained, as Marshal Goering put it some time ago, to prefer guns to butter.

Looking at all the facts, and not forgetting that Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Halifax are to call at Paris on their way to Rome, it is not easy to anticipate any valuable outcome from the conversations which by this time may have opened.’ At least it must be hoped that if Signor Mussolini makes any attempt to pave the way for another conference on I he Munich model, the British Prime Minister and his colleague will close the proceedings and go home.