WORLD’S PEACE

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 July 1923, Page 5

WORLD’S PEACE

DEBATE IN COMMONS. MR BALDWIN’S WARNING. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.J LONDON, July 23. In the House of Commons, Mr Ramsay MacDonald (Labour Leader), initiated a debate on disarmament. He moved a resolution deploring the enormous and growing expenditure on military preparations, and urging the Government to take immediate steps to call an International Conference to consider a programme for national safety based on a policy that by disarmament alone can the peace and liberty of small and large nations be secured. One colossal folly, for which the Government must be held seriously responsible, said Mr MacDonald, was the wild wanton escapade of Singapore. He said that the pledge given at the beginning of the Great W’ar that the war was to end war, had now become the most sacred of all pledges to the dead. Any party, in the House or outside it, that ventured to play with that pledge, broke faith with the millions who had died.

Major O’Neill (Conservative) moved an amendment that the Government, at the earliest opportunity, should use its influence both through the League of Nations and otherwise to prevent a* recurrence of international competition, and bring about a general limitation of armaments. Mr Asquith regretted this amendment, because he thought it of the utmost importance, at a time like this, that the House of Commons should present absolutely a united front, and should give a firm lead to the rest of the world in a protest against the growth of armaments. It was impossible to exaggerate the gravity of the situation. He appealed to the Government to stay its hand in the matter of the Singapore base. Sir Samuel Hoare (Air Minister) declared the Government was doing its utmost to explore openings towards armament reduction. Mr Baldwin, in closing the debate, said the feeling of all quarters of the House was deep and sincere regarding the evils which were to be combated. It was noteworthy that, since the peace, there was a strong local feeling in favour of Nationalism arising in different places, which might bear the seeds of much future evil to Europe, but there also was a feeling in the hearts of millions that, whatever had been the result of the war, if civilisation was to be saved, it behoved all peoples to join together and do what was posible to preserve it. The Government believed an attempt at this moment to convene an international conference would lead to an indefinite postponement of any possibility of achieving the end which all desired. Before good could be done, the reparations question and the security of frontiers must be settled. In the meanwhile the Government would examine sympathetically any proposals from the League of Nations. • The motion was defeated by 296 to 169. JAPS. AND SINGAPORE. TOKIO, July 23. M. Takarabe, the Minister for the Navy ,informed a deputation of members of Parliament that the establishment of the Singapore naval base had long been contemplated by Britain, who, he was of opinion, was compelled by the change in the situation brought about by the abrogation of the AngloJapanese Alliance, to take this step in China and India. Baron Uchida, the Foreign Minister, declared that Singapore, being outside the sphere defined in the Washington agreement, the question of its defence was purely/ a British concern.