ARMS PROBLEM

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 123, 27 May 1933, Page 13

ARMS PROBLEM

ffHE MACDONALD PLAN

STABILISING POSITION

A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD

The draft proposals of Mr. Kamsay MaeDonald and made tho basis of the actions suggested by President Kooscvelt, are based on tho existing Pact of Paris. ■•■lt is declared that any war undertaken in breach of that Pact is a matter of interest to all the parties, and a breach of the obligations assumed towards each of thorn. In the event of a breach or threat of breach of the Pact there is to be a conferenco between the ■patties if any iivo of them, including at least one of tho Great Powers, so request. The conferenco may bo summoned through the machinery of the League. Any conclusions reached at the conference must be concurred in by all the Great Powers, and by a majority of the other Governments represented. If the conferenco be called in view of a threat of breach of the Pact, its object will be to agree upon, the steps that can be taken in respect of such breach, or, if a breach has actually occurred, to determine which party is to bo held responsible. With a view to limiting the power of aggression, it is proposed that land forces on th© Continent should be reduced to a militia basis, fixing eight months as the maximum .period of service, with the proviso that, in cases approved by the conference the period of service may be extended to twelve months to meet differing conditions in certain1 States. Given, however, the accepted principle of computing effectives by the average of tho number of days' duty performed, the longer the period of service, the less wifr bo the number of soldiers trained annually. In all Continental land forces, provision is made for a fixed ratio of long-service personnel to conscripts. . ... ' LAND rORCES. The following are the proposed Igurcs for average daily effectives:— /Stationed Total, in homo including Paily, country, oversea. Germany . > ,200,000. 200,000 Belgium ~r CO.OOO 75,000 Bulgaria ....' 60,000 60,000 Spain ' „.......,...,. 120,000 170,000 Franca -, t ~ 200,000 400,000 Greece ' 60,000 60,000 Hungary « 60,000 00,000 Italy ~. a... 200,000 '250,000 Holland . 25,000 75,000 Poland '. ■ 200,000 - 200,000 Portugal V 50,000 60,000 Rumania ■' w 150,000 150,000 Czechoslovakia 100,000 100,000 TJ.B.S.R. 500,000 500,000 Yugoslavia, 100,000 100,000 Each . other ' Continental European State j? ■.... * 50,000 *Xp separate figure. ' The.size limit of 105 mm. (4.5 inches) 5s imposed on mobilo land guns, but States may retain existing guns up to 155 mm. (6 inches). The limit for coast defence guns is fixed at 406 mm. (16 inches), and Ipiat for tanks at 16 tons. All prohibited material is to be destroyed, as to one-third, within a year of the Convention's entry into force; the balance within three years. - The intention is that tho Treaty of Loddon should be extended to include .France and Italy, who are at present not within its framework, and to stabilise the remaining naval forces of other Powers at the level fixed by the Washington and London Treaties until the next aaval conference, duo to meet in 1935. The truco in capital shipbuilding is thus extended t0...a1l Powers, except that Italy, if she desires, may lay down one ship, to offset that laid down by France in 1932. Except as provided for by the London Naval Treaty, there will be no construction of 8-ineh-gun cruisers, and- all other construction, will be purely for replacement. ' Germany will be freed from the naval limitation clause of the Treaty of Versailles,, but is to bo required to conform to the truco in capital shipbuilding and. to limit her other shipbuilding purely to replacement, the qualitative provisions of the Treaty of Versailles being removed. That is to aay, tho^proposals stabilise her naval position up to the end of 1936. AIR ARMAMENTS. At the end' of five years from the entry of the Convention the war aircraft of the Powers listed below is to be reduced to the figures stated:— Belgium 150 Poland ....... 200 China 100 Portugal .... 25 Chechoslovakia . 200 Rumania 130 Denmark 50 Slam 75 Estonia ..... 50 Spain , 200 Finland >..... 25 Sweden ...... 75 France , SOO Switzerland ... 75 Greeeo ~..... 75 Turkey 100 Italy » 500 Union of S.S.B. 500 Japan 500 United Kingdom . 500 J,atvl« SO United States Xlthuanla, ~.. 50 of America 500 Netherlands .. 150 Yugoslavia, ... 200 Norway .75 As regards other countries; the status quo is maintained, i.e., Germany is to possess no war aircraft. No war aircraft (excluding troop carriers and flying boats) is to exceed three tons unladen weight. No further dirigibles are to be acquired during the period of the Convention. , Aeroplanes exceeding tho quantitative and qualitative limitations imposed must have been disposed of, half by June 30, 1936, and. the remainder by the end of the period of tho Convention. , Civil aviation is to bo dealt with on the lines proposed by tho British delegation on June 30, 1932. ! The Permanent Disarmament Commission is to draw up a. sehemo for complete abolition of naval and military aircraft conditional upon effective supervision of civil aviation. If effective supervision is found '', impracticticable, a scheme shall be prepared to determine the minimum numbers of aircraft required by each State. PERMANENT COMMISSION. Chemical, incendiary, and bacterial •warfare is to be prohibited on the lines already accepted by the Conference. A Permanent Disarmament Commission is to be set up composed, of one Government delegate from 'each contracting party. Its functions shall be to supervise tho execution of the Convention. Any contracting! party whose attitude may have been tho subject of criticism sha]l bo entitled to request tho Commission to conduct investigations in'his territory. At the request of one or more of the contracting parties the Commission: may decide to have investigations of alleged breaches conducted on the territory .of any high contracting party. Such a decision shall requiro a two-thirds majority of all the members of the Commission, whether present at tho meeting or not. Should any of the contracting parties become engaged in war, or should a change of circumstances constitute, in his opinion, a menace to his national security, such party may suspend temporarily, in so_ far as he is concerned, certain provisions or"' th© present Convention other than, notably, tho abolition of bombing from the air, and the use of chemical, incendiary, and bac-. terial weapons. • ■ The Convention is to remain in force for five years, except the naval provisions (which will terminate on December 31, 1936), and tho rules forbidding certain methods of war (which are to remain in force indefinitely). Before the expiry of the Convention a further Disarmament Conference is to be held. ■ (The Convention will replace tho provisions of the Peace Treaties which at present limit the arms and armed forces of Germany, Austria, Hungary, 'S^d Bulgaria, _^-_