Evening star., 1938-03-25
ENGLAND'S LABOR
CALLS ON LEAGUE
TO ACT FOR PEACE
Leaders Score Chamberlain
Statement of Foreign
Policy Yesterday.
CENTRAL EUROPE, SPAIN
APPEASEMENT is URGED
Demands Inject New Factor Into
Arms Construction to
Backing Warning.
BY tie Associated Press.

BY tie Associated Press.
LONDON. March 25.-Leaders OF
British labor today assailed Prime
Minister Chamberlain's declaration of
foreign policy and called for an i'm
mediate meeting of the Assembly of the
League of Nations to consider the
appeasement of Europe
Men representing the Trades Union
Congress and the Labor party, in
cluding labor members of Parliament.
took the action at an emergency joint
meeting.
This was direct outcome of the
Prime Minister'S historic statement
in the House of Commons yesterday
and of his interview with labor lead
ers Wednesday, when he sought their
support OF plans to speed up rearma-
ment.
Appeasement Steps Sought.
The leaders Of labor demanded
special consideration by European
members of the League, particularly
France, Great Britain and Russia,
of steps to be taken to bring appease-
ment to. Central Europe and Spain"
Labor's demands injected a new
factor into Mr.. Chamberlain's efforts
to back his policies by the arms pro-
gram he already has warned the ma
ton must cost more than the ST.
soc. 100000 originally intended for it.
Mr.. Chamberlain yesterday warned
Britain she might have to fight, even
though in his long-awaited pro-
nouncement of policy in Central Eur
ope he refused to bind the nation in
advance to pledge to halt any Ger
man aggression in that quarter.
80 Where peace and war are
concerned legal obligations are not
alone involved, and if war we're to
break out it would be unlikely to be
confined to those who have assumed
such obligations" he declared.
Picturing rearmed Britain as a SEN
tinel of world peace. Mr.. Chamberlain
said all else was secondary to imme-
diate rearmament on a wartime
scale.
Arms Hinge Upon Labor.
Labor leaders were placed. in the
forefront of the revived effort to weigh
Mr. Chamberlain words with guns
and planes.
The governments appeal to labor
recalled a similar plan in March,
1915, to increase production of World
War munitions, when the government
proposed there should be no strikes
or lockouts, proposed referring of dis
putes to arbitration and sought sus-
pension of restrictions tending to
limit production or employment of
semi-skilled and female labor.
AS result of the governments ap-
peal then the workers prepared their
own plan, which speedily was modi-
fed and adopted.
Speech Generally Welcomed.
The British press generally well
coined the prime minister's declara-
ton of policy, although there was
some criticism Of lack of more posi-
tive statement.
To those who felt Mr.. Chamber
lains policy somewhat obscure. favor
able commentator answered that the
prime minister's strategy was like that
OF a quarterback in a football game
who calls the plays when he sees
how the opposition's attack is de-
veloping.
Other members of Mr.. Chamber
lain's team, they said, were France,
Belgium, Portugal Egypt, Iraq,
Canada, South Africa. New Zealand,
Australia and the remainder of the
empire.
The prime minister was now watt
ing, they said. to see which way the
ball was going.
Obligations Cited.
In his speech. Mr.. Chamberlain
said Britain had obligations which
might lead to use of her arms with
France, Belgium, Portugal, Iraq and
Egypt, besides the responsibilities of
defense of her own empire.
Clement R. Attlee, leader of the
of11cial opposition in Commons,
charged the government with a policy
connlvance at insurgent victory in
Spain.