DISARMAMENT

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 54, 12 September 1928, Page 11

DISARMAMENT

INEVITABLE DELAYS CUSHENDUN EXPLAINS British Official Wireless. (Eeceived 12th September, 11.40 a.m.) RUGBY, 11th September. Earlier in the afternoon Lord Cushendun made an important speech in tho League Assembly on disarmament. He said that of all the subjects which had come up for consideration in tho Assembly the great predominating question was that of disarmament. He could wel' appreeiato the disappointment which Ilerr Mueller, the German Chancellor, and others felt at- tho slow progress which was being made. On the other hand, he thought that Ilerr Mueller did not appreciate in turn the difficulties which faced the Preparatory Committee of Disarmament. RESOLUTIONS FUTILE. A resolution of the Assembly could not produce disarmament. All that could be done was to set up machinery which would enable Articlo S of the Covenant to have full force, and to obtain a reduction of armaments compatible \vjlll the security ol! each State. Tho Assembly could' only state its desire to see the work of disarmament pushed on and express its disappointment that disarmament had not been ruado sooner. Disarmament itself must be left to the discretion of each State. There was bo common denominator

which could be applied to all the States for tho reduction of armaments. These were some of tho difficulties. DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY. He could not suggest at present any solution, but he mentioned them as an indication of the difficulties that lay in tho path of the Preparatory Committee. It was necessary for various States to reach a preliminary agreement, and this, owing to their varying Parliamentary Leagues their geographical situations, and so on, necessitated lengthy negotiations which had to be built up on mutual concessions. An agreement mado between two States was not always acceptable to a third. In such' cases amendments and negotiations were sometimes necessary. At tho same timo groat progress had already been made, and there was no need for despair. WHAT BRITAIN HAS DONE. Lord Cushondun recalled that a great amount of disarmament had already taken place in Great Britain. For instance, the personnel of tho British Navy was already forty thousand loss than in 1914. Great Britain had scrapped more than two hundred war vessels, 'otalling two millions tons, and the same reduction had taken place in the Arsenals of the Army and Navy. Great Britain had already fulfilled her obligations under Article 8 of the Covenant. The Kellogg Pact was sure to have important, if not spectacular, results. A now generation would be reared in tho idea that war was a national disaster laid armaments wen: necessary only for defensive purposes. Lord Cushendun concluded by saying that those whoso work had made the Kellogg Pact possible would bo included among the benefactors of humanity. Lord Cushendun was warmly cheered at the close of his speech.