DISARMAMENT.

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 28 July 1932, Page 4

DISARMAMENT.

The Disarmament Conference has adjourned till April and' Mr Henderson’s

recent speech- makes it clear enough that the results of the six months-’ session now ended have failed to reach expectations that were never extrava-

gant. By deciding to approach disarmament qualitatively and- to eliminate or limit weapons according to their potentialities for aggressive warfare, the Conference delivered itself into the hands of the experts and for a while it seemed that no effective progress was

possible. At one stage, for instance, the Commission on Land Armaments reported that it was unable to agree on the offensive qualities of any land weapon. Fortunately the political side of the Conference reasserted itself during the last few weeks and enough has been achieved to refute the charge that so far the deliberations have been futile. The

“arms truce,” whereby the States participating in the Conference agree not to increase their expenditure on armaments, has been extended 1 until the Conference meets again; chemical, bacteriological and incendiary warfare and air attacks on civilian populations are to be forbidden; maximum limits have been agreed on for coastal guns, fortress guns and mobile land guns; and, subject to certain reservations, air bombardments generally are to be. forbidden. The problems of trained reservists, naval disarmament, and’ budgetary expenditure on armaments' are to be

.examined by special committees between 1 now and April. Mr Henderson also insists that nothing has been done to close the door against Mr Hoover’s proposal to reduce all armaments by about a third. In the meantime 1 , there are disturbing murmurings in Germany. That country lias alreadymade it clear that unless during the recess its claim for equality is admitted it will not attend the second phase of the conference; and, according to today’s cables, there is a class in Germany desirous of increasing armaments to other nations’ standards if the other nations will not reduce to the German standard. It will be a tragedy if the conference, instead 1 of effecting an armament reduction, should bring forward one more competitor in the armaments race.