Treaty of Locarno

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 38, 8 November 1933, Page 11

Treaty of Locarno

Sir, —The cabled resume of the spec at Skipton of the British Parliamenta: Under-Secretary for Foreign Alfa! (Mr. .Anthony Eden), wherein he iabou at length to defend the Treaty of Loca no against certain criticisms, is interes ing, if not very instructive, readin When this famous treaty was signed Locarno on October 16, 1925, it w: considered so dangerous to British ore seas interests that the Dominions ai India insisted upon a special artfc (Article 9) being inserted therein, wher by they were exempt from the obligatioi of the_ treaty. ■ / ' These obligations (to. which. New. Ze land is not a party) included the oblig tion to take part .in . the next gre: Franco-German war, on one side or tl Other, if one of these quarrelsome Powe should happen to'suffer as the result , .an unprovoked act of from tl other. Now that ’Germany under Hit! is arming again, the contingency provi ed for in the Locarno Treaty looms nea er, hence no doubt the recent criticism ■ this “War Pact” in England. Tlie extraordinary thing. about th Locarno Treaty was that tlie parties, it. including Britain, could not even, I giving reasonable notice, withdraw-fro ‘it. Apparently Mr. Eden thinks th: this omission precludes the possibility < England ever withdrawing from the te rible obligations of the treaty. Howcvc such is not'the case, as a very impo.rtai article of. the treaty (Article 10) provi cd that the Locarno Treaty sbonld n, enter into force and become. binding international law unless and until Gr manr became' a member of the Leagi of Nations. Germany has recently r signed from the League of Nations, is therefore clear that the Treaty i Locarno. 1925. will lapse in-two year time (when Germany’s resignahon fro the League becomes legally effects e and the obligations thereof, so foolish aeeeptel by England wfll eease to 1 morally or legally binding upon her. It is to be honed that Germany do. not withdraw her resignation.—l sn ctc " SELWYN KING. Wellington. November 6.