MAY BREAK DOWN

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 140, 15 June 1932, Page 7

MAY BREAK DOWN

ARMS CONFERENCE

Disappointment At Tardy

Progress

TEARS OF ECCLESIASTICS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, June 14. The Archbishop of York, Dr. Temple, and several of his episcopal colleagues, in a letter to the Press, express disappointment that up to the present no progress has been made by the Geneva Conference towards serious disarmament, and also expresses the fear that unless a definite effective policy is adopted by the Powers at the conference within the next few days, a breakdown may be difficult to avoid.

The signatories of the letter press for a substantial reduction of those armaments which by treaty are prohibited to Germany.

Mr. Arthur Henderson, chairman of the Disarmament Conference, stated yesterday that the moment had come when great decisions must and would be made.

"The Times" points out: "It cannot be too emphatically stated that these decisions can only be taken by responsible representatives of the leading nations. The experts must do their part. They have the principal data.

"The questions tliey have to answer are really very simple: Are the other Governments of the world prepared to apply to their own cases in whole or in part, the limitations of armaments imposed on the vanquished countries after the war? Are they ready to abolish, curtail or internationalise their own use of weapons which were declared to be of an especially offensive character in 1919, the largest warships, the largest guns, tanks, submarines and aeroplanes?

"In those days of national impoverishment most, countries would probably warmly welcome an opportunity to reduce their Budgets by any commonly agreed proportional plan."

At a private meeting of the. Disarmament Conference Procedure Committee a resolution was adopted, the efTect of which is to suspend the main work of the conference until the conclusion of the discussions now taking place between representatives of the big Powers.