THE PEACE TREATY

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 244, 16 July 1928, Page 9

THE PEACE TREATY

DISARMAMENT CLAUSES HOW THEY HAVE BEEN OBSERVED STATEMENT BY BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY How the disarmament clauses of the Peace Treaties, which followed the end of the Great War have been observed, was made the subject of a statement in the House of Commons by Sir Austen Chamberlain. (British Oilieial Wireless.) Rugby, July 13. A statement on the present position regarding the execution of the disarmament clauses in the Peace Treaties was made to-day by the Foreign Secretary (Sir Austen Chamberlain) in reply to a Parliamentary question. Sir Austen said the Inter-Allied Commissions of Control set up in Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria respectively had now all been .withdrawn because they had accomplished their task to the extent which the exAllied Governments considered on the whole satisfactory and adequate. In the case- of all these countries except Austria the final detailed reports which the Commissions of Control drew uj) on the termination of their mission had been communicated to the League Council, which on the withdrawal of the Commissions became under, the Peace Treaties responsible for investigating any subsequent breach of the disarmament clauses.

As regards Austria, the Commission’s final report had not yet been presented to the League Council because there were certain outstanding points regarding the conversion of munition factories to industrial uses which were still the subject of negotiations between the ex-Allied Governments and the Austrian Government.

As regards Hungary, in communicating the Commission’s final report to the League Council the ex-Allied Governments drew its attention to certain reservations expressed by the Commission regarding the application of recruiting laws in Hungary. As regards Bulgaria, in communicating the Commission’s final report to the League Council the League Council the ex-Allied Governments drew its attention to the.frequency of non-execution or transgression of new military laws regarding recruiting and army organisation, although the laws themselves if loyally observed were such as to assure a satisfactory application of the Treaty stipulations. The attention of the Council was also drawn to the fact that the Bulgarian Government had not yet fulfilled its undertaking to revise Article 71 of the Constitution, which asserts the principle of universal military service, which is incompatible with the stipulations of the Peace Treaties. As regards Germany, an agreement was reached at Geneva in December, 1926, between the ex-Allied Governments and the German Government whereby, after the withdrawal of the Commission of Control, certain experts were attached to the diplomatic missions of the ex-Allied Governments at Berlin, with a view to reaching an agreement with the German authorities as to the final execution of certain points which at the date of withdrawal of the Commission of Control, could not yet be regarded as having been completely carried out, Considerable progress, said Sir Austen Chamberlain, had been made in settlement of these outstanding points, which concern among other things, reorganisation of the police, and alteration of military establishments.