MOVING FOR PEACE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 95, 1 February 1934, Page 5

MOVING FOR PEACE

POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION. THE BRITISH MEMORANDUM. FOR NATION'S CONSIDERATION. (United Press Association—Copyright) (.Received This Lay, 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, January 31. The which the attitude of the British Government .to the present disarmament situation is defined, was published to-night in the form* of a White Paper. It represents a further positive contribution to promoting a reconciliation of views and indicates the lines' of the compromise which the Government believes should bo generally .acceptable.

The memorandum states: "it is recognised that a resumption of the negotiations at Geneva, without new directive suggestions avoulcl lead to further disappointment and that an agreement would most likely be reached on a broad basis which combines a regulation of armament with assurances in political fields. Discussion since last March, however, has shown, that the British draft convention, the underlying conceptions of which remain the standpoint of the British Government, requires adjustment in order to attain agreement. "Therefore the Government will still work for an agreement, even though, having regard to the principle of equality of rights, agreement is found to involve, alongside of disarmament in some quarters, some measure of rearmament in others. "His Majesty's Government has more than once publicly stated that an international agreement based on. the admitted principle of equality or rights in a regime of security necessarily involves that within the stages provided for by 'such an agreement, the situation must be reached in which arms of a kind are permitted to one State cannot continue to be denied to another. The Government is convinced that the best prospect of the future peace of the world would be afforded by an agreement which recognised and provides for this parity, treatment, while it abolishes or reduces to the lowest possble level all arms of a specially offensive character, and provides, by the most appropriate means available, for a greater sense of security. "So far as Europe is concerned, reconcilation of the points of view of Franco ..and Germany is an essential condition) of' a general agreement. It a way is not found to accommodate their respective points of view, this greater sense of security will not be promoted, and without it substantial disarmament is impossible. On the other hand if an agreement is reached, even if agreement at present is attainable, falls short of the highest hopes, the 'gain of reaching and observing such an agreement would be immeasurable and the fact? that it had been reached and observed would form a firm foundation. on which a further agreement of a more comprehensive character might be based in- future." The way in which the Governmentbelieves, an agreement could be Reached is set out in the second part of the memorandum. Adequate provision must he made under three heads—security, equality of rights, and disarmament. Firstly, the Government regards the present form of security provisions contained in the first four articles of the British draft convention as of very meat importance, but they suggest the addition of three further articles, one of which would be the present Article 89 of the draft convention, declaring that a loyal execution of the convention is a matter of common interest to the signatories, second, on the article providing for immediate consultation m the event of the' Permanent Disarmament Commission reporting failure by one of the parties to execute loyally the convention; and third, defining the object of such consultation, which is an exchange of views as to the steps to be taken to restore-the situation. These provisions would emphasise the inescapable, duty of the signatories of the convention to prevent or remedy any violation of it, and when taken together with the German Chancellor's proposal for a conclusion of pacts of non-aggression, would present the sum total of a security worthy of general acceptance. Secondly, equality of rights: His Majesty's Government declare that a- practical application of the principle of the equality of rights is no less essential in agreement than "that of the principle of security. Thirdly, disarmament: Attention is drawn to the voluntary renunciation by the German Chancellor in the course of recent of offensive weapons, although heavily-armed States might not be willing to abandon their existing armaments. HITLER'S APPRECIATION. (Received This Day, 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, January 81. In his Reichstag speech yesterday, the Germ fin Chancellor (Herr Adolf Hitler), expressing appreciation of the efforts of the British Government, to improve international relations, stated that the British Memorandum was already receiving earnest consideration.