RHINELAND AND PACT

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 53, 11 September 1928, Page 11

RHINELAND AND PACT

NAVAL DISARMAMENT REFERENCE BY BRIAND United Tress Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. Australian. FTCS3 Association— United Service (Received lllh Sept., 10.15 a.m.) GENEVA, 10th September. M. Briand participated in the League Assembly's general discussion. His speech lasted ninety minutes, and was characterised by his usual vigour and eloquence. It terminated with an ovation from the Latin American and Little Entente delegates, the customary fervent reception from them. M. Briand said that the-League had already prevented a number of open conflicts. Without the League there would have been no Locarno and no Paris Pact. He described the Russian proposal for general total disarmament as a theatrical gesture. Herr Mueller had said that as long, as Germany was disarmed everybody could disarm, but, added M. Briand, "we, too, looked at this problem this way : two years ago; to-day it is more complex. I am sure that HenMueller would not say that Germany was completely disarmed. Peace can only be permanently established when there is a real international understanding." M. Briand, referring to the AngloFrench compromise, said that nobody was satisfied with it, and there was little hope under these conditions that the Preparatory Committee! would have any better fortune and thus render a disarmament conference possible. People said that the compromise contained secret clauses. It was a simple agreement to help in the reduction of naval armaments.