DISARMAMENT.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20198, 28 March 1931, Page 16

DISARMAMENT.

POLICY OF GREAT BRITAIN. , sV; ; THREE PARTIES AGREE. (bbitisb onriom. wibblkss.) RUGBY, March 26. The question of next year's World Disarmament Conference was raised in .the House pf Commons by Sir Donald Maclean (Liberal member for North Cornwall). Hq- first referred to the proposal of sGermany and Austria to enter into' a Customs union, and welcomed the gesture, made. by. the Foreign Secretary at • Paris, that the matter be taken up and discussed in a friendly spirit by. the League of Nations. He hoped we might: ■ soe the beginning of a' cessation'sfthjp; devastating war of tariffs between the nations, which was more productive'of competition in armaments ■ than the whole range of national antipathies put together. . Sir Donald, also said that a revival of .trade and a mitigation of unemployment depended very largely on getting rid of competitive armaments.' A tre- ■ mendous task was imposed on next ■year's conference, and he believed the ! whole country would be behind the Bri-j-tish delegates. If the conference failed, 'humanity would be placed on the descending scale leading to the destruction of civilisation. Many members emphasised the groat importance of achieving an agreement, and assured the Government of their support in an active policy to ensure its success. Sir. Austen Chamberlain (Conservative, West Birmingham),' after saving that the Conservatives fully shared" the hope for tho success of. the Disarmament Conference, referred to the Aus* tro-German "Customs proposal, and said that whatever view -we took we and j other nations, who had been engaged, in ! conferences for the proposed tariff ;truce I" or in the conversations and conierences ' which 'had taken place for some; closer * / ufrion among the European States, had ' reason to complain when a project of. i that kind was secretly matured while j I those conversations were proceeding, and was suddenly sprung on the other Parties. -Ho could not help feeling that it- showed a want of diplomatic tact on the part of the two parties not to have taken the other nations earlier into their confidence. He was wholly with the Foreign Secretary in the course he had decided to take of bringing this matter before the Council of the League of .Nations. He was very glad Mp, Henderson had tUme .that. , The Ministerial View. r , • The Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Hugh .Dalton, replying forj the Government saifl that with regard I to the proposed Austro-German Customs agreement he had no more information: ' -ttf give. He, only say that the Foreign Secretary, ;Mr Arthur son, was very anxious that no move- ; ment promising a reduction of EuroI pean tariffs should be jeopardised ,by misunderstanding pr mishandling. They wore following the policy which they had always pursued, tha,t any question, in which susceptibilities mighty be aroused should bo-considered in si friendly atmosphere by the Council of the League of Nations, As to disarmament, he was very glad to notice the growing feeling in all Partwrof the need for a check to,the■ continual increase of armaments. -The Go Vermont <sstild go forward in^/the. lcrioWjedgo thdt all PaTties were