SECURITY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 126, 30 May 1934, Page 7

SECURITY.

ROOT OF TROUBLE.

DISARMAMENT ISSUE. Opening Session of Conference At Geneva. RUSSIAN PEACE SUGGESTION. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1.30 p.m.) RUGBY, May 29. The General Commission of the Disarmament Conference met at Geneva to-day after an adjournment of over seven months. Mr. Arthur Henderson, in his opening speech, said the duty of the conference was to carry its work to a successful end, and he asked for the collaboration of all. He expressed the view that the following points should be studied: — (1) To reach agreement on land armaments in which resided a guarantee for the security of every nation. The recent exchange of Notes between the various Governments had shown that tho security problem was at the root of the whole situation.

(2) The danger of increase in air forces, as there was 110 way of defence against air attacks.

(3) It was most urgent to reach agreement on traffic in arms and munitions, and to take steps to protect any State which was the victim of aggression.

Tho United States delegate, Mr. Norman Davis, said his Government's policy would be directed towardj either an arms truce or rearmament. In naval armaments, although America had felt it was necessary to build up to approximately treaty limits largely in replacement of ships, she was none the less willing to join other interested Powers in substantial, proportionate reduction in naval tonnage.

Sir. Davis said that no nation could wish to take the responsibility for the failure of the Disarmament Conference or face the consequences of such failure. He thought it best to go back to the decision of Jul}' 8, 1033, when the British draft convention had been accepted by all nations, including Germany, as the basis of a future convention.

If Germany desired a disarmament convention, which surely must be the case, he could not .easily believe that she would not be willing to resume negotiations 011 a basis to which she had previously agreed.

M. Litvinoll (Russia) proposed the transformation of the conference into a "permanent and regularly assembling conference of peace" to work out and perfect security measures.

The conference adjourned until to morrow.