King Carol's Visit King Carol of Rumania received a deservedly
cordial welcome when he arrived in London on Tuesday. His reputation as a statesman has grown consistently in recent years. His visit will certainly provide a valuable oppor- tunity to strengthen the friendship between Rumania and this country, and King Carol is anxious to increase Rumania's power of resistance to German expansion in the Balkans. Germany's demands for a greater share of Rumania's foreign trade have become more and more pressing, but there is no doubt that King Carol would prefer the alternative of increasing her trade in the free markets of the world, especially Great Britain, and if possible obtaining loans with which to strengthen Rumania's armaments. There is much sympathy for such aims in this country ; yet it is realised that they can have no other purpose than to impede the growth of Germany's trade and influence. Such an objective is difficult to reconcile with the aims of Mr. Chamberlain's foreign policy, which depends very largely on providing Germany with an outlet in Central Europe and the Balkans. For that reason Mr. Chamberlain and Lord Halifax are likely to look with more favour on arrangements designed to promote normal trade between Britain and Rumania than on agreements aimed directly at countering German ex- pansion. * * *
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