Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, AUGUST 25th., 1928. WORLD PEACE

Greymouth Evening Star, 25 August 1928, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, AUGUST 25th., 1928. WORLD PEACE

WHATEVER response may be made to Archbishop Averill’s appeal that special prayers of

thanksgiving be offered to-morrow.

anti later, in connection with the abolition of war pact, there can be little doubt that the occasion is worthy of world-wide commemoration. being, one of the most monentous in history. True, the pact is as yet. but a treaty, but if public opinion is aroused, no Government would flare to treat it as a scrap of pa pel' to be honoured, or disregarded. at will. It is as a .Magna ('harta for peace-lovers, and in such category all should be glad to be included. It is worth while to reprint here tin* terms of the pad. or. at least, the three main articles. These are as follow: — » Article I.—'Pile High contracting Parties solemnly declare in the names of their respective peoples that they condemn recourse to war for the solution of international controversies, and renounce it as an instru- I merit of national policy in their relations with one another. Article ll.—The High Contracting Parties agree that the settlement or solution of all disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin these may be. which may arise among them, shall never be sought except by pacific means. Article 111. —The present treaty shall be ratified by tire High Contracting Parties named in the preamble in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements, and shall take effect as between them as soon as all their several instruments of ratification shall have been deposited. Fifteen nations have agreed to sign, namely Great Britain. France.

Germany, Italy, Japan, India, Irish Free State, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Belgium, Czeeho-Slovakia, Poland and the United Stales. Other countries have expressed a willingness to sign. An invitation is to be extended to all nations in due course, which means presumably, when these other lands are able to honour the obligations they will enter into. The chief nonsignatory is Russia, who affects to believe that the treaty is a cunning attempt to encircle her with hostile foes. That is an absurd suggestion, but it is to be hoped that undue delay will not occur before Russia becomes a partner in the new agreement. The pact does not propose to abolish war, but to remove it as part of national policy. Hitherto, some countries have armed with the purpose of using force to obtain their ends against weaker neighbours, either for territorial or political purposes. These wars of sheer aggression are now to be forbidden, any disputes arising to be settled by pacific means. Armies and navies will continue to be necessary, as a. means of defence only. At first, perhaps, the new treaty may not appreciably diminish national forces, but as the years pass, and the nations become accustomed to the belief that aggressive Avar is criminal, it should follow that armaments can, with safety, be reduced to a minimum. One of the best analogies made is to liken the various world nations as acting in the future, as now do the lands within the British Empire. War between any of these British countries is regarded as impossible. When disputes or differences of opinion arise, Imperial Conferences are held to remedy any wrongs. Similarly, in future, when international quarrels arise, peaceful negotiations will be instituted to adjust what is wrong, and rarely, very rarely, should war be found to be the only way of settling the

argument

Unless goodwill accompanies the acceptance of the new treaty, the whole proceedings "will be a farce, but there is little ground .at present, for misgivings. The world,

generally, realises what the horrors of another great war would be, and it would be a mad nation that callously invited such catastrophe. Belief in each other’s sincerity must be forthcoming, and it is certain that the United States and British Empire are in earnest. Their joint strengths, martial, territorial and financial, will, be factors to be reckoned with by any nation tempted to break the new covenant. Moreover, the League of Nations will be strengthened by the new pad. which goes further in the direction of peace-preservation than does the League’s Covenant. Time will tell if the present rejoicing over Mr. Kellogg’s treaty is warranted, but every present circumstance suggests that a new era is opening for mankind, for which all should be supremely thankful.