LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19887, 16 May 1936, Page 8

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

NOT PROPERLY FOUNDED. MUST BE POWER BEHIND IT. VIEWS IN PARLIAMENT. WELLINGTON, Friday. Mr W. J. Poison (Stratford) agreed that international trade was the cement of peace. He thought a great majority of the people were so anxious for peace that they would make any sacrifice for it. Recent events showed that the League of Nations was not properly founded. The League had become only a clearing house for information, and if civilisation were to survive the League would have to be built on different foundations with some power behind it. Not Been Tried. Mr J. A. Lee (Grey Lynn) said the collective security had not been tried up to the present. They must not hasten to liquidate the League. He believed that if the present Government of France had been in existence twelve months ago Fascism and Mussolini would have been checked, and jf the League had one magnificent victory.—and it had many minor achievements. —he believed it would endure for all time; hut they had to be consistent. There was a pacifist mind, and he had nothing against it, which believed that the way of crucifixion was the way which extolled the League of Nations and collective security, but it refused to face up to the responsibility of collective security. He trusted the League, instead of being liquidated, would go on, and that they were, not going to condemn the League for Its failures of 20 years, when thev were conscious of the fact that the system If it had been established to supercede had failed throughout the ages.

Mr Hargest (Awarua), said because of the League they could look back on 16 or 17 years of peace, and if they could look go on for another 16 or 17 years they might, reasonab.v hope the nations of the world had come Jo the resort to settling disputes by peace instead of resorting to f jrce. * Britain Not Blameable. Mr Schramm (Auckland East,-, said Britain had been consistent, in her League ideals and had been leader iu collective action. Prance, which had used the League for her own purposes, failed England at the critical point! The British Government could not be blamed for not standing alone and stopping Italy going to war with Abyssinia. That would have meant a world war. The debate was Interrupted by the luncheon adjournment.