London, Feb, 12, Several speeches were heard this afternoon during the world conference for assistance to China, sponsored by the International Peace Campaign, MI Henri Rollin, Belgian delegate and President of the International Association of League of Nations Unions, expressed the opinion that the attitude of the great democracies in face of acts of aggression such as Japan's was not firm enough.
While admitting that Great Britgin, the Dominions, and America would be seriously prejudiced by an eventual boycott, such a boycott, he said, would have a decided effect on Japan.
Sir Arthur Salter, peaking next, said that he preferred a "private boycott" b; this would involve mi s of war, Mr, Ben Tillett, Chairman to the Trade Unions Council, defended the right of dockers to refuse ally te load goods for Japan.
Mr. Tillett admitted, however, that the Trade Unions were compelled to adopt a rather cautious attitude and that the actual example should come from the Government, Canada as Arsenal Dr. MacLeod, the Canadian delegate, stated that "Canada is Japan's arsenal,"
"But for the war materials from Canada," he added, "it would hav been impossible for Japan to begin her aggression and continue it,"
In 1936, according to Dr. MacLeod Canada had supplied Japan 71 per cent, of her aluminium requirements for her aircraft constructions, 79 per cent. of her copper needs, while in the first nine months of 1937, Canada had shipped to Japan seven times the amount of copper sent in ihe previous year, four times the amount of lead, and seven times the amount of nickel, M. Leon Jouhaux, General Secretary of the French Labour Federation, expressed the determination of French Labour Unions to participate in any international action for a boycott against an aggressor,—Havas, Boycott Decided London, Feb. 13.
A campaign to organize a house-to-house canvass to secure a universal boycott of Japanese goods has been decided upon by the British delegation to the International Peace Campaign, which opened a conference in London yesterday to discuss ways and means of boycotting Japan and helping China. This decision was reached at a separate meeting following a general meeting of the conference.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.