EQUALITY DEMAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 99, 29 April 1933, Page 9

EQUALITY DEMAND.

German Amendment to British

Arms Plan.

AMERICA BEHIND BRITAIN.

(British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, April 28. In the General Commission of the Disarmament Conference at Geneva, the German amendments to the British draft convention were presented. They declare that the attainment of equality should receive practical application in the convention, Germany being allowed all weapons considered necessary to defence by other nations, and calling for a more drastic abolition of aggressive weapons than the British plan provided.

Mr. Norman H. Davis (America) urged that the British plan be adopted as a whole. The United States regarded the British plan as a valuable, definite contribution to the work of disarmament, providing a scheme to be followed in progressive steps until arms were brought down to the level all desired.

Although the plan contained provisions which were unsuitable for the United States, its merits outweighed its defects, and efforts should be directed to adoption of the plan as a whole without making modifications jeopardising its balance. The United States delegation would resist anything unduly weakening to the plan or jeopardising the success of the conference.

M. Massigli (France) declared that if the amendments represented Germany's last word, there was no hope of any disarmament convention.

The commission postponed the discussion of the security question.