BRITAIN'S RELATIONS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 6, 6 July 1929, Page 9

BRITAIN'S RELATIONS

SIR AUSTEN'S COMMENT

MR. HENDERSON'S REPLY

British Official Wireless. (Received 6th July, 11 a.m.) BTJGBY, sth July. In the House of Commons to-day, tvhen the debate on the Address to the Throne was continued, Sir Austen Chamberlain asked the foreign Secretary, Mr. Arthur Henderson, whether he could make any announcement regarding the conversations and negotiations in progress between the British Minister in China and the representative of the Nanking Government. Eeferring to the negotiations with America, Sir Austen said: "The statement by Mr. Gibson and the mention of the new 'yardstick' which the President of the United States has introduced into the discussions' seem to us full- of hope and good augury for the future and we earnestly desire that thn negotiations should come to successful termination. I believe myself we can best contribute to that result by refraining from interfering by public discussion at this stage in matters which must be treated privately in the first instance, if they are to produce good results. I therefore confine myself to wishing the Prime Minister success in the task which he has before him," Bir Austen urged the Government not to act with undue haste in the matter of the signature of the Optional Clause or without having given full attention to the various difficult questions to which it inevitably gave rise. Britain was doubly.and trebly committed to a peaceful settlement of international disputes. : _ Referring to the Rhineland evacuation, he said that he would welcome it, but it must be a general evacuation. He welcomed the adherence of Mr. MaeDonald to his former Note to Russia against hostile propaganda and denounced the resumption of . relations until that propaganda had ceased. POSITION IN CHINA. Replying, Mr. Henderson said that he was in wholehearted agreement with most of what Sir Austen Chamberlain had said. With regard to the recent conversations between the British Minister at Pekin and the Chinese, authorities on the question of a commercial treaty between the two countries there had been considerable divergence at view as to what the Treaty should contain. The Chinese Government had agreed to the appointment by both sides of experts who should see how far common ground could be reached. With reference^ to the rendition of Wei Hai Wei, the British Minister proposed that negotiations should proceed on the basis of the 1924 agreement and the Chinese Foreign Minister had put forward modifications and amendments which would requiro careful consideration. As to the Boxer indemnity, the Chinese had suggested that the indemnity funds should be applied to the rehabilitation of the railway and that any interest accruing therefrom should be used as endowment for educational purposes. Proposals submitted by Sir Miles Lampson wero now the subject of consideration between the parties. With regard to extra-territorial rights nono of the Governments concerned had yet -replied to the Note addressed to them on the subject br the Chin*»e Government. AMEBICA AND EUROPE. Coming to the American conversations, Mr. Henderson said that beyond a shadow of doubt the first step to be takon both with regard to signing the optional clause- and entering on normal relations with Russia was to place the matter before tho Dominions. The Government, ho added, considered that Locarno and the Kellogg Pact ought always to be takon into consideration in any move regarding tho method by which they were going to stabilise the peace of tho world. With regard to tho Ehinoland, he thought that evacuation should take place at the earliest possible moment. "I am convinced that it will not bo in the interests of tha peaco of Europo if this evacuation is taken by degrees and stages. I think we ought to try and get both tho French and tho Belgian Governments to take this step with us. I have no reason to believe that any insuperable difficulty is going to bo placed in the way either by Franco Or Belgium t- couipluto evacuation. Tho Houso may feel assured that everything i|c can do, all tlio -moral force we can bring to bear, especially at tho coming conference which deals with tho Experts' Report, will lie exorted to secure a speedy and unanimous docision in favour of evacuation." ATTITUDE TO SOVIET. j On tho question of Russia, Mr. Henderson recalled the actual position of

the relations. He said: "His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom accorded a de jure recognition to the Government of Soviet Russia in 1924. From that time the Government of Soviet Russia was entitled to be recognised as a Government of State, and is still so recognised by His Majesty's Government. It follows that the reciprocal rights and duties which Internationa! Law recognises as incumbent on States in their relations to one another continue to subsist between this country and Russia. What the rupture of 1927 did was to suspend the normal machinery of diplomatic relations. It is that machinery which now requires to be re-established." In this, he added, the Government was, he thought, supported by the great volume of opinion in Britain. One or two replies had been received from the Dominions, but the Government were not taking action until they had found out whether they were going to receive any further replies. Referring to the anti-British manifesto issued in March by the Third Communist International to which reference had been made by Sir Austen Chamberlain, he said that they had no association with it, and would not be influenced by it. The Government had made it clear that it was not going to tolerate Russian propaganda.