FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20503, 20 May 1938, Page 7

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

THE BRITISH POLICY CLASH WITH NEW ZEALAND A QUESTION OF PRINCIPLE United Press Assn.— Elec. Tel. Copyright (Received May 20, 1 p.m.) LONDON, May 19 In initiating the debate on foreign affairs in the House of Commons, Colonel J. C. Wedgwood-Benn, alluding to Abyssinia, said: "We found, ourselves in a short, sharp conflict with one of the Dominions, and New Zealand was forced, on a. question of a principle to challenge the Mother Country. Let the British Government remember that the League of Nations is the basis of the British Commonwealth. There is no other document which binds all the Dominions, save only the Covenant.” Mr E. L. Fleming said the Empire was hound together long before the League came into e'xistance. Sir John Simon, in reply, said the central fact explaining the Government’s course was the extreme Angloltalian tension in the middle of last year, constituting a situation full of gravity and menace. Mr Chamberlain's crime was that he did his best to cure the situation. Opposition Interruption There was considerable interruption when Sir John Simon declared that the Opposition was almost alone in Europe in denouncing the agreement. He added that the pledges and assurances given to the Italians in the course of the negotiations had been fully implemented. There had been no material alteration in the situation in Spain, according to Government information, due to the Italian reinforcements.

CRITICISM OF THE GOVERNMENT OPPOSITION MOTION DEFEATED(OfficiaI Wireless) RUGBY. May 18 A debate on foreign affairs was initiated in the House of Lords by the Opposition Leader, Lord Snell, who moved: "That in the opinion of this House the foreign policy of the Government, which includes the acceptance of the sacrifice of Abyssinian independence and is detrimental to the democratic Government of Spain, offers no certainty of any compensating gain to the principles of peace and democracy.” Later Lord Brocket moved an amendment approving of the Government's foreign policy, including the Anglo-ltalian agreement and the nonintervention policy in Spain. Viscount Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, replied for the Government to the debate. The House negatived Lord Snell's motion and accepted Lord Brocket's amendment. HAILI SELASSIE’S FUTURE PROPOSAL BY ARCHBISHOP LIMITED POWERS IN ABYSSINIA United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright LONDON, May 19 The suggestion that Signor Mussolini might he induced to offer Haili Selassie a limited area in Abyssinia iu which he could be granted internal autonomy under the suzerainty of Italy was strongly pressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in the debate in the House of Lords. A condition of the offer would be that Haili Selassie must forgo the title of Emperor and undertake to do his utmost to restrain the chiefs from fighting. Lord Halifax said he fully understood the feeling aroused by anything resembling recognition of the Italian conquest, but it was necessary to reconcile what was ideally right with what was practically possible. "When the choice is between peace and war I feel my duty impels me in the direction of peace,” said Lord Halifax. “His Majesty's Government has never condoned the Italian action and It never will do so.”