TWO RIVAL SYSTEMS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 176, 26 June 1937, Page 9

TWO RIVAL SYSTEMS

POSITION IN SPANISH WAR. HOUSE OF COMMONS DEBATE. BRITAIN’S DIFFICULTIES. (United Press Association —By Electric • uioeraph.—Copyright ' (British Official Wireless.) Received June 26, 11.55 a.m. RUGBY, June 25. The debate on international affairs in the House of Commons was opened by the Liberal leader, Sir Archibald Sinclair. He said that the Spanish situation presented itself as a struggle between rival systems, each of which commanded a passionate body of supporters. 'That constituted a perpetual danger, because if some country or Government representing one of these two ideas' should be tempted to intervene beyond a certain point then it was obvious that other countries might find it difficult, it not impossible, to refrain from joining in. A conflict might then he started of which no man could see the end. The policy of the British Government, he said, had been consistently confined to one aim, namely, to maintain peace in Europe by confining the war to Spain. “Wo have suffered the usual fate of those who try to be impartial and have been bitterly accused by both sides of partiality,” said Sir Archibald, “but up to the present we have succeeded in achieving our object and shall continue to pursue that object. The situation is serious, but not hopeless. Let us try to keep cool heads and neither say nor do anything to precipitate a disaster. “1 chink wo are bound to recognise that as long as this civil war is going on in Spam incidents are bound to occur which will involve foreign Bowers. These will load to accusations of want of impartiality and counteraccusations, and then to such deplorable incidents as the bombing of the Deutschland and the shelling of Almeria.” ....... Referring to the Leipzig incident, he said that German officers were convinced by what they thought was indisputable evidence that they had been subject to an attack by torpedoes. “Whether the German officers are right or wrong, that is what they believed and, in the circumstances, it seems to me that their claim that they could not allow their ships to be exposed any longer to the risk of suen incidents as that ought not to he a subject of hostile criticism and action. “The German Government, m merely withdrawing their ships and declaring the incident closed, showed a degree of restraint which we ought to recognise. We should now fill the gap in the control system and restart our endeavours to obtain the withdrawal of foreign volunteers in Spam. “I want to appeal to other nations to weigh their words very carefully before they utter them on this matter.”