GAS WARFARE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1929, Page 18

GAS WARFARE

INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY

; Estimates showing how the population of London could be wiped out in twelve honrs by.a gas attack were made recently,by the Earl of Halsbury, X.C.,* in his address to- the League 'of Nations Conference (reports the,"Daily Telegraph"). '.'; . . . "..'.'

The next war, Lord, Halsbury said, would not'begin where the-last one left off. There' was going tojbe an entirely ;ne;w .gas ,of which the., world at present I knew nothing. ■ All ■ the leading coun. ; tries had -been engaged. ' in: ■research '. work:';inStlt©7last/ ten years, and it; wasI:inconceivable '.that '.they had-, riot fbundsomething more.'flffsc,tlye .than anything ;uyed'!wj'th«"ia?t'vwar,".,it..jpigh!t!.prpvertp jb'e'Very.- much worse. CMiistar.d gas !was: ■ the nipst. deadly.' of poison gases at pro;seiif known... "If .you;take an area of J6OD square kilometres,'.' Lord. Hals- ; bury .pentV oh, say, from .Richmond. to • the east of Barking.' Creek,..and ,from 'Finchley to Wimbledon -and. Streatham ;in' the. south, a lethal ■ doso.. would -. be :forty-two, tons of gas.; .It - would have ;to" bo spread out in, every,particle, but that' would ha the theoretical lethal idose..required. -.'. ■'.? '....-.,. ... . „-.: .'■.

> "Forty-two iona< is a-mere fleabite, apii ,could. be, brought- over London in {twelve.; hpttrs.. It iieans. that in twelve fours', every, man, woman, .and, child in that area might.. fail., to live." ■ The only, possible I:safeguard.Jto the danger was , the. threat of reprisals. " Let a country, know," declarod : Lord Hals bury, "that 'f it attempts to obliterate London we shall carry out reprisals. Let the world know that ah attack by one .country on a .other; means the obliteration of .both;.- ,That is the 'only .way .we/,can preserve civilisation.':'

: Professor Gilbert: Murray, iwho presided at. the afternoon's session, said that the only safeguard against the pos.-.':' ilities -of chemical warfare was ,t .internationalise: .the '.great chemical industries:of the world. .: £■■•

; ,It:would nican a'-very; thorough.'orgariIsatioriyrand.'jt -■•. oul'd- >>■' riecos'sai'y 1 to hav;.En\r! monj'Frenehmen; and Ital: iansi^on the Executive "Board'--of" the Gorman; industry, so that it could never bo used as an engine of war. Equally, 0../ course, tho same prcn -^ie >■ would have to bo taken: with the English, !|lri: ; h,.'a. ;i :,Xta i:."» iiic-" '•'•ioa. ' '■''-'■■

•Mr; i,G. . G; Ammts, .M.P., described the proposals to prohibit the use of

: .tieulrir ■■■ ...apons of war such 'as gas and die: leal substances '.as .useless. Tieyv would not lx- worth a snap of ■•tinfintrers o..ce'hostilities had *.egun. ■ ."When anation'finds itseif at war," ho [remarked, '.'it Will stop at nothing.' There is : •.■on> nclous hum 't'r in suggesting that one nation can be more savage of,-.ruthless than another. -If. you are going to; war, 1 you use every weapon in. your power to attain your ends. The mass of people .are not yet convinced of the., necessity of .disarmament. The only means of approach,to the question is to bring,about a change of spirit."-