PLANNING FOR PEACE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 November 1939, Page 5

PLANNING FOR PEACE

VIEWS OF LONDON LABOUR LEADER NEED OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION. COLONIAL & OTHER PROBLEMS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY. November 27. In the course of a broadcast this evening the London Labour leader, Mr Herbert Morrison, recalling that he had spent his life in struggling for security at work and at home for the mass of the people, stated that he realised full well that as a result of the war much constructive special work must temporarily cease, but in spite of this he. together with 99 per cent of his fellow countrymen, knew that there could be no peace in Europe until. a peace could be made with “Germany ready to play the game and cooperate.” Britain would be chasing a will-o’-the-wisp if the object of the war were only to end the Nazi threat and to restore a pre-Nazi Europe, he said. Although disagreeing fundamentally, economically, and politically with the Prime Minister, Mr Morrison stated that he was at one with Mr Chamberlain that the war would result in deep changes in every trend of thought and action. He urged that all should make themselves ready and plan for the kind of change that would come and he suggested some principle which he thought should govern the new order. IDEALS OF GOVERNMENT. “Our aims,” he said, “should be those:— “While we must be ready to surrender a measure of national sovereignty we must maintain the cultural freedom of the nations and a proper measure of independence in their political I i fe. •■Secondly, we must cling to the ideal, of government whatever its actual form as something which exists to serve the peoples and not to domi-, nate them, and we must remember that this is no mere internal question. The Governments that dominate at home are often peace-breakers abroad. "Next, the nations must come together and tackle the international economic problems including the problem of colonial possessions on international lines, even if this means a limitation of national sovereignty. 'Then we must organise the industry, trade and commerce of the world with the idea not of bolstering up the special privileges of any class or group, but of achieving a higher standard of life for aff. "Next, we must insist upon achieving international control of arms manufacture and armed forces, once again giving up sbme old ideas of national sovereignty in order to bring that about. "Lastly, the nations—victors and vanquished and neutrals alike—must agree that none will seek to be the judge in its own cognisance and that each will submit its grievances and quarrels to impartial judgment and will abide by the outcome.” WHAT DEFEAT WOULD MEAN. Mr Morrison said he did not think this a proper time to enter into a more detailed peace programme. The basic motive of Britain’e entry into the war, he said, was because of "a conflict between a profound respect, for the individuality of the common man and his freedom of mind and conscience and a pagan materialism which subordinates man to the soulless purposes of machine-made States.” The Press Association reports that Mr Morrison further stated: —"I do not welcome war, but if Nazi Germany were victorious she would establish her own Governments in the conquered territory. England would have government by the truncheon, the gun. and the concentration camp.

"Every newspaper would be a mere megaphone for some gutter Press Goebbels of our own. Parliament would be made a mockery, political opinion would be suppressed, the legal system transformed into an instrument of brutality, every child would be a spy aganst its parents, and every lovely' thing for which men have striven and struggled would be crushed under the jackboot of Hitler's-gauleiter. "This is not a ghost story. Peoples as jealous of their freedom as we are have already been struck down. "But we are not lighting only to end Nazism. We must plan a clean, ordered. and secure world, for which we must be ready for sacrifices as individuals. classes and a nation." ECONOMIC AIMS BRITISH PRIME MINISTER’S STATEMENT. AMERICAN APPROVAL. The United States Secretary of State. Mr Cordell Hull, has issued a statement approving of the portions ol Mr Chamberlain’s speech dealing with economic aims when peace has been secured, a radio message reports. Mr Hull said he was gratified, but not surprised, that Mr Chamberlain had emphasised that there could be no lasting peace without a lull and constant How of trade, which was the only method of improving the standard of living. He added that he could only earnestly hope that when these economic ideals were approached, the people of the United States would make an appropriate contribution. A British observation on Mr Hull's speech emphasises that he not only spoke of the United States’ sympathy in Hie Allies' cause but also took it for granted that the Allies would be victorious. hate propaganda GERMAN PILOT’S TESTIMONY. Evidence of the bittci hate of England that had been deliberately stirred up by Nazi leaders among Germans is given in the story of the young German pilot whose machine was shot down behind the French linos, a radio message reports. . tie was entertained by his captors (members of the Royal Air Force) at a dinner when the traditional respects for victor and vanquished wore paid. Replying, he spoke of the eflccts of the anti-British propaganda on himself and others like him. "A year ago I liked England, but in ip,.' interim we have been so saturated with propaganda regarding Britain's hatred of us that we began to think there was something in it and grew to hate also

"Before 1 took my machine up I was told that if I were captured I would be shot or tortured. Now. however. I find that my earlier beliefs regarding England are true after all.” he concluded.