International Outlook Surveyed by Mr. Anthony Eden in House of Commons Speech London, Feb, 25.
WIDE survey of the international outlook was made by Mr.
Anthony Eden last evening in his first important speech in the House of Commons since becoming Foreign: Secretary.
The speech, which was made before a crowded House during. a debate on foreign affairs, fell into three parts.
The first dealt with the Italo-Ethiopian question, in the second part Mr. Eden offered observations on certain subjects not directly related to this dispute, and the address. closed with a review of the international situation asia whole, during which the Foreign Secretary 'expressed regret that Britain had been forced to increase her expenditure on armaments, The Opposition speaker, Mr. H. B. Lees-Smith, @ member of Yhe Labour Cabinet in 1931, opened the debate by complaining of} the Government's lukewarmness on the subject of sanctions. He Urged the Government to endeavour to promote an immed te il embargo and to cease helping the aggressor by supplying him with cotton, animals, etc.
Mr. Lees-Smith was supported by Sir Archibald Sinclair, Jeader of the Samuelite liberals, who urged the imposition of an. oil"embargo even without the participation of the United States.
Sir Archibald also suggested the application of coal, iron and steel: sanctions, and the most complete severance of economic relations with Italy.
Mr, L. S. Amery, Conservative member for the Sparkbrook division of Birmingham and former First Lord of the Admiralty, struck.a dif ferent nolo when he urged the Government to extricate themselves from: the blind alley-of sanctions and find solution based on the merits fof the ease and not on the idea that Moly must be punished.
Mr, Eden, who was given encouraging applause by the House when he rose to speak, commenced his address by recalling thal, within ten days of the outbreak of war, Italy had been declared the aggressor by a number of states on the League Council and the decision had' been ratified and approved by 50 states members of the Assembly.
committee had been set up which proposed four measures to be applied: against Italy, What was remarkable about that record was its rapidity vather than Its dilatoriness, Mr. Anthony Raden An Unwelcome Task The Ca-ordination Committee and auh-committes, the Foreign Secretary qleclered, had the unwelcome asia. of organizing those sanctions. Tt was clear that ancial sanctions and refusal to accept Italian exports by states members of the League could not be made immediately effective. Their object was gradually to replace the purchasing powers of the aggressor state.
"The normal exports of Ttaly to na-ions of the League amounted to 70 per cent. of her export trade, and the power of the aggressor to\ purchase abroad must be seriously di-finished in consequence of such sanc-
"To my mind," declared Mr. Ede all Is a sanction like any other, and must be Judged by the same criterfon—whether Its imposition will help to stop war, for that Is the object which every nation at Geneva has before It.
"It is in that spirit that governments must examine it and come to their decision. I can say no more about that decision, since governments have not yet completed their examination of the Experts' Report the Implications of which are being carefully studied by the governments of members of the League."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.