Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 1939. ANOTHER EFFORT FOR PEACE.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 15 April 1939, Page 6

Wairarapa Times-Age SATURDAY, APRIL 15, 1939. ANOTHER EFFORT FOR PEACE.

♦ ALTHOUGH the shadow of a great and terrible danger still looms over Europe and the world, the outlook is m some measure improved by. the uncompromising, though in no way provocative statement of British policy reported in yesterday s cablegrams. The terms in which Mr Chamberlain spoke ol recent international events, and announced that unilateral o-uarantees similar to that given to Poland had been given also to Greece and Rumania, were worthy of a great occasion and of the nation for which he spoke. Respect and approval no doubt will, be given throughout the Empire, also, to the statement by Lord Halifax m which he observed that, the Government was fully aware of the gravity of the decisions recorded, but had acted in the belief that a perfectly dear declaration of its attitude m certain events from which in no case can Britain properly stand aside, would render these events less likely.” The possibility cannot yet be overlooked that the German and Italian dictatorships, rather than allow themselves to be arrested in their course of aggression,' may elect to plunge their own nations and many others into the horrors of war. At least however, it has been made clear to these dictatorships that’there are limits to what free nations will endure at their hands In the case of Italy, Air Chamberlain is said to have held out an olive branch, but in doing so he demanded a return by that country to respect for the engagements into which she has entered, notably in the matter of withdrawal from Spam. It is perhaps a good sign that an inspired reply to the British Prime Minister, made in Berlin, consists chiefly ot extremely unconvincing abuse. The authors of the statement accuse Mr Chamberlain of unscrupulously creating a panic, of conspiring to encircle Germany and of sundry other things. Tirades of this kind answer themselves. Even in Germany, where manufactured propaganda has so largely been substituted for authentic news, it is probably understood very well that no contemporary statesman has striven more earnestly for peace than Air Chamberlain, or is doing so today. The methods by which the British Prime Minister has sought to achieve appeasement most certainly have been open to criticism at times, but to accuse him of attempting to promote panic and war can have no other effect than to bring ridicule, or contempt, upon the accuser. Like much that has preceded it, Air Chamberlain s latest speech most certainly is an honest effort for peace. Thanks to the stand now taken jointly by. Britain and France, with the support of several smaller nations and with some hope of Russian co-operation, not to speak of the moral and perhaps economic backing of the United States, the democracies have taken a long step towards regaining the initiative in world affairs. The issue of war or peace is still open, but it will no longer be as easy as it lately has been for the dictatorships to select weak victims to be bullied and enslaved under a glorified development of gangster tactics. Probably it would be foolish to expect any spontaneous response by the Nazi and Fascist dictatorships to a speech like that delivered by Air Chamberlain, but there are other factors to be taken into account. It is the opinion of some wellinformed observers, for example, that the Hitler regime is by no means so popular in Germany as it was and that the people are increasingly resentful of intolerable deprivations imposed upon them for the sake of an unlimited expansion of armaments. While Herr Hitler’s “bloodless conquests” have been accepted contentedly and with admiration, it has been said that the outbreak of war in Europe would ensure the speedy downfall of the Nazi regime. Whatever indications of this kind may be worth, it is reasonably certain that the prospects of peace will be made better rather than lessened by the statement made by the British Prime Alinister on Thursday and by Al. Daladier’s simultaneous declaration on behalf of France. It may be hoped that even in Germany and Italy it will be appreciated that these declarations have been made with the full approval and support of nations which desire peace above all things, but at the same time are determined not to endure tamely further developments of totalitarian aggression.