THE NEXT BIG WAR

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 November 1932, Page 7

THE NEXT BIG WAR

MR. BALDWIN’S WARNING PAST HORRORS EXCEEDED [BY CABLE —PRESS ASSN. —COPYRIGHT.] LONDON, November 10. In the House of Commons, Mr S. Baldwin, closing the Disarmament debate, said that disarmament alone would not stop war . The highest duty of statesmanship was to remove the causes of war. What it was hoped to do by disarming was to make it more difficult to start war. The world was suffering from fear and from a want of confidence. The greatest fear among ordinary people of all nations was the fear of the air. It was well for the man-in-the-street to understand' that there was no power to protect him from air bombing. The only defence in aerial warfare was to kill more people than* the enemy’. The people in many parts of the Continent were being educated in the methods of seeking protection from aerial gas attacks. It could not be pretended that Britain also had not made, investigations. Aerial warfare was still in its infancy. Its potentialities were incalculable and inconceivable. Mr Baldwin added: “I do not think that we have seen the last great war, but I do not think that it will come just yet. Few of us will see it. But our young men will have to fight it! They must decide. The air instrument is in their hand's, but some instruments mankind is resolved not to use. At least three of the inventions that were prepared for the last war were not used. If the consciences of the young men come to feel that the air instrument is an evil thing then it will not be used. If they do not feel so, then, when the next war comes, and when European civilisation has been wiped out, as assuredly it will be, do not let them blame us older men! Let them remember that they alone will be responsible for the terrors that have fallen upon the earth.”

Sir AV. Steel Maitland’s amendment

was carried by 402 votes to 44. Mr Baldwin’s speech created a profound impression in the House of Commons. One member afterwards said that it ought to be posted up in every school. FRENCH GOODWILL. RUGBY, November 11. Sir J. Simon in the disarmament debate, referring to the French' ’plan, said that whatever might be said about some of its structural details, the plan was inspired by a genuine desire to come to a friendly arrangement with Germany. Moreover, the proposal for a national pact of nonaggression in Europe excited the warmest sympathy of the British Government. Regarding the French proposal to meet German claims of equality by a common basis for all countries, he said it meant that the Treaty of Versailles was not sacrosanct. GERMANY IMPRESSED BERLIN, November 11. Sh’ J. Simon’s speech has made a deep impression everywhere. Official circles are closely analysing it to see what is expected of Germany. The “Boersen Courier” describes it as sensational. The “Deutsche Allemeine Zeitung” says it is a definite advance. Others comment on Britain’s change of front. JAPANESE MANOEUVRES. (Received November 12, 11.30 a.m. TOKIO, November 11. The autumn manoeuvres began in the Osaka districts, after elaborate preparations, on double the scale of the previous post-war exercises. Enormous silent throngs from -schools and colleges, ex-soldiers, and the public kneeling on the matting on the roadside, greeted the Emperor arriving at Osaka.

During the preliminaries, there was a thorough combing out of bad characters and dangerous thinkers within a radius of twenty-five miles of Osaka.