WORLD PEACE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 115, 17 May 1934, Page 7

WORLD PEACE.

PRIMATE'S APPEAL. — dff \ LONGING OF NATIONS. Hopes Frustrated by Fear and Suspicion. GRAVITY OF SITUATION. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph-Copyright) (Received 11.30 a.m.). LONDON, May IG. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Cosmo Gordon Lang, impressed by the gravity of the international situation, has issued a manifesto emphasising the world-wide longing for peace, and pointing out that this is being frustrated by national fear and suspicion.

The moi Id needs a sense of security with which the present scale of armaments is incompatible. The failure of the Disarmament Conference would inexcusably betray the hopes of the multitudes. Tho price of security was a willingness to accept the collective action of nations as members of one commonwealth, failing which civilisation would bo imperilled. A British official wireless message states that Sir John Simon, addressing tho Federation of Women's Institutes of London, described it as very distressing and serious that no international agreement on disarmament had yet been reached. He shared the keen disappointment so widely felt, but did not share the view that, because two years had passed without achieving agreement, the whole enterprise was hopeless and should be abandoned. No Effort Too Great. Remarking that he hoped soon to attend the next meeting of the conference, Sir John stated: "Speaking on behalf of the British Government I may say we shall do the very best that caii be done to bring an agreement about. 1 shall go to Geneva full of confidence because I am profoundly convinced that the hearts and hopes ofj the British people are most deeply pledged on this issue.

"There is no effort too great and no persuasion that could be superfluous for the purpose of bringing about an agreement. If an agreement is not reached, the League is going to suffer a severe blow. British policy stands for support and maintenance of the League. To substitute for this new-world method of international co-operation the oldworld methods of one country arming itself against another will not do."

While he believed that valuable results would follow if the general level of armaments were reduced, the real difficulty which faced the conference was not the technical question as to how many arms of a particular kind a particular nation should have. Armaments were only the indication of the disease of fear, and unless something could be done to strike at the roots of this terrible disease the best technical experts in the world would not be able to produce an agreement for international disarmament.

Mr. Arthur Henderson to-day denied the report he had resigned the presidency of the Disarmament Conference. He said he was making the necessary arrangements for the work to be resumed on May 29 and was determined to do everything in his power to influence the conference to carry through its original task.