FRENCH VIEWS

Evening Star, Issue 21636, 3 February 1934, Page 18

FRENCH VIEWS

biSARMAMENT PRGiLEItI GKSUNDS m HOPE (British Official Wireless.) Press. Association—By ’Telegraph—Copyright* RUGBY, February 2. (Received February 3, at 1.30 p.m.)f To- the British and Italian for disarmament at present under cbm sideration by the Governments of thei world has now been added a French! memorandum on the subject, which was handed to the Gcniiaii Government on! Monday, and is'now published; All the( four principal European, countries havej thus put forward their ideas.bn the sub-* •jeet, and it is notable that, despite the) difference in the many viewpoints ex* pressed, there is at least common recog* niticii of the pavamqunt importance to) the peace of the world, of an agreement! which will avoid the .almost inevitable! catastrophic consequences of an anna* ments raep., Another underlying con* sideration is the economic and-social consequences of the vast and wasteful expenditure which might follow failure! to reach an armaments convention. ’ It is noted in London that particular attention is devoted in some quarters! to the British proposals for air arma* ments. The' British Government Ye* peatedly emphasised the importance' o£ this aspect of the problem, and the memorandum recognises that these may; prove the most potent military weapons in the possession of mankind. Article 35 of the British' draft convention re* quired that a permament disarmament! commission should work outschemes-fon the total elimination of military and' naval aircraft dependent on, the' effec* tive supervision of- civil aircraft.’ They, now propose, if the commission has noti decided on abolition at the end of two years, that all countries ..be entitled :r .to possess military aircraft. The memorandum remarks that id! the British Government’s view,iti would be prejudicial to the prospects of the inquiry that any party nob hitherto entitled to possess military, aircraft should claim such possession! pending the results'of the inquiry. At! the same time they frankly recognise that Germany and the other States nob' at present entitled to military .aircraft] could not be asked to postpone for long ftieir” claim.’’ ■ ■ ■ * '' ■

The proposal puts a term to a discus* sion which might have been much pro* longed. The; memorandum suggests that Germany in the interim should be entitled to possess anti-aircraft guns.