ARMS DUMPS

Evening Star, Issue 21292, 22 December 1932, Page 11

ARMS DUMPS

NOVEL GENEVA SUGGESTION (From ‘ The Times.’) An idea which has been seriously discussed. at Genova is that of international arms dumps. It is proposed that the , heavy land armaments which may, be prohibited in the new Disarnxaxr.f nh ' Convention should, instead of being destroyed, be parked i in chosen “ neutral ”, countries and be at the disposal of the League of Nations, which would entrust their maintenance in; serviceable condition to the country xvheraj they were parked. Switzerland is the obvious “ neutral ” country, as the seat of the League of Nations; but she ia understood to be disinclined to provide! a dumping ground for offensive weapons. Spain has therefore been suggested. ' The idea is novel and peculiar, but is being taken seriously by several Governments, and it seems possible that it may be included in the French project. It certainly' correspoxids to a frame of' xxiind which is very common, in Europe to-day. There is a real desire to get rid of the engines of war* but also a real fear of .the consequences -of being deprived of their use. The dumps scheme is therefore a compromise. The weapons would be given up* but would not be irretrievably lost in; the event of invasion. A good many of the ideas mooted in connection with disarmament appear; fantastic when they are judged solely, by cool reason; but it is essential to remember that there is an immensely important psychological side to tha problem. War-frayed nerves, fears, and suspicions which were settling down have been excited again by the German / withdrawal, axxd Geneva has become one-sided. General Schleicher’s challenge has evoked some of the old symptorus of war-neurosis. The demand for equality of status has stirred the most profound misgivings among those States which wex - e created or aggrandised by the war. There has been an almost visible shudder of anger and anxiety* Some of them are separated froxn Germany by a frontier which may in places consist of only a ditch or a_ hedge; and,, looking over the hedge, as it were, they seem to say: “ There are those Germans waiting to arm again! All their youthi is being trained in martial exercises* The whole country is being militarised* Are we never going to be allowed to enjoy our hard-won national independence in peace?” Every allowance must be made forj these feelings, which are reinforced by the long, apparently interminable lines of cemeteries in the old war areas* Soxxxe of the races feel they cannot stand any more killing. And across the frontier they see' Germany apparently being_trained to war! The reaction is different upon different temperaments, and' does not run! altogether along national lines. Opposite effects are produced on different parties in the same country. To tho more martial-minded comes the impulse to crush resurgent Germany, while she is still militarily weak, once for all. To others—and so far as one can judge the majority—-comes an intense desire to get rid all round of those' infernal instruments of destruction s'o that-all countries may have a better prospect of living peacefully side by side. In the treatment _of this problem psychology must be mingled with statesmanship. Never has England had such profound cause of gratitude for her sea frontiers. On this island it has been much easier to throw off the last traces _of war-neurosis than for the countries that were the scene of tha conflict and still bear its physical scars* Our more fortunate position gives us the greater responsibility to take at lead in forming .and proclaiming a strong and sensible policy. Its aim must be moral disarmament even more than the actual reduction of arms* Reduction will inevitably follow tranquillisation.