ARMAMENTS REDUCTION

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 183, 1 May 1929, Page 11

ARMAMENTS REDUCTION

BRITAIN’S SMALL ARMY CONTINUOUS DIMINUTION SINCE WAR OBLIGATIONS OF LEAGUE COVENANT Lord CushewJun, in the discussion at Geneva on land armaments, pointed out that Great Britain for many years had carried out consistently a continuous reduction of land armaments, and for five years had progressively reduced her Military Budget. (British Official Wireless,) Rugby, April 29. In the discussion on land armaments at the Preparatory Committee on Disarmament at Geneva Lord Cushendun, the British delegate, said that it was quite true, as the French delegate had said, that the question of the distinction between limitation and reduction had already been discussed and settled. Nevertheless, it was very important to bear in mind the distinction between the two, because if reduction were to be substituted for limitation in this Convention, they might very well be going beyond the obligations of Article 8 of the Covenant. Article 8 of the Covenant laid it down that there should be reduction down to a level compatible with national safety. One could not tell at present what nations, if any, had already reduced to that level. Consequently, if they were to insist upon reduction as well as limitation in the present Convention, they might very well be going beyond the obligations Of Article 8. In this connection Lord Cushendun mentioned that Great Britain had carried out consistently for many years a continuous reduction of land armaments. At the end of the war Britain had a very large military force produced by compulsory service, which was an exceptional system to her. Britain immediately returned to voluntary service, but even on that small level, which, compared with conscriptionist nations, was, of course, a very small army, Britain had been continually reducing. In proof of that proposition he said that compared with August, 1914, namely, with the pre-war army, Britain had reduced her army to nine cavalry regiments, twenty-one infantry battalions, and sixty-one artillery batteries, and in the Inst five years she had progressively reduced her Military Budget. In 1925, irrespective of pensions, the British Military Budget was £36,500,000; in 1926, £34,500,000; in 1027, £33,333,000; in 1928, £32,750,000; and in the present year £32,333,000; so that during the last five years Britain had been continually and progressively reducing her Military Budget at the same time that she had carried out a progressive diminution of land forces. Therefore, it was quite possible, though he did not assert that it was so, that when the matter came to be decided by the Disarmament Conference, it might appear that Britain had already reduced to the level required by Article 8 of the Covenant. QUESTION OF ABOLISHING CONSCRIPTION DEFERRED TO CONFERENCE PROPER ATTITUDE OF CHINA (United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Australian Press Association.) Geneva, April 29. At the Disarmament Commission the Chinese delegation consented to the question of the abolition of conscription being deferred to the Disarmament Conference proper, because other delegations considered it outside the scope of the present commission. China, however, reserved the right, if necessary, to adopt conscription. Count Bernstorff (Germany) said that they were not asking the Powers already disarmed to disarm. He hoped •that the future conference would net degenerate into a conference for mutual protection against disarmament. '(Laughter.) HOOVER’S NAVAL PROPOSALS BRITISH AND AMERICAN EXPERTS TO CONFER (United Service.) London, April 29. It Is learned that private consultations between British and United States ( experts will be commenced immediately in connection with President Hoover’s naval proposals. It is stated that the conversations will be strictly confidential, and no information will be available to the public. It is unlikely that much will be known regarding the proceedings for several weeks. Meanwhile, there is a confident hope that if Britain and the United States mutually agree, there will be little difficulty of the others following.