Disarmament

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 244, 28 September 1922, Page 5

Disarmament

THE COMMITTEE’S REPORT. SUBSTANCE OF MAIN RESOLUTIONS. SOUND PLANKS FOR PEACE. i ßy Cable.—-Press Association.—Copyright.] Geneva, September 26. In the full Assembly to-day. British, French, and Italian delegations cooperated in submitting the disarmament committee's report, embracing a series of. propositions which formed the subject of a prolonged discussion and many coni promises at committee meetings during the past fortnight, and which were eventually adopted unanimously. The following is the substance of the principal resolutions:— (1) European nations existing in 1914 should reduce their total military, naval, and air expenditure to the 1913 basis. (2) International control of traffic in arms. (3) An international agreement regulating the nlanufasture of arms and munitions, and universal adhesion to the Washington Treaty in relation to asphyxiating gas and submarines. (This was originally Mr. Mark Sheldon’s proposal.) (4) All nations to be invited to furnish returns of requirements for national security. (The report explained that 26 out of 51 nations represented in the lieague had supplied this information.) (5) An international conference tobe summoned by the League, with a view to extension of the Washington Treaty to all non-signatory nations. I (6) To prepare a scheme of general reduction in land armaments. (7) Countries reducing armaments be entitled to receive in exchange a satisfactory' guarantee of safety. (8) Such guarantee must take the form of a defensive agreement provided the obligation to render assistance is limited to countries in the .same part of the globe. The committee desired to emphasise the importance of a regional agreement and also accompanied the resolutions with a declaration that a reduction in armaments cannot achieve the full effect unless it is general.—(A. and N.Z.) “PRICE OF INTERNATIONAL SUSPICION ” Geneva, Sept. 26. Lord Robert Cecil’s speech in presenting the report of the Disarmament Committee, was most impressive. He said the League’s statistics showed that only a fraction of the men were required to maintain internal order in the various States, whereas millions, costing hundreds of millions sterling were required to resist aggression. “This is the price of international suspicion. This is the great obstacle to disarmament, whiqh the resolutions seek to remove by substituting a general reduction of armaments and mutual guarantee of safety.” Signor Scialoja (Italy) said the chief value of the proposals was that they did not attempt too much. M. Jouvenal (France) urged that the resolutions were practicable and advocated beginning with limited guarantees, because a general guarantee might he indefinitely delayed. Baron Hayashi pieaged Japan’s support for the proposals. The Hon. H. A. L. Fisher, on behalf of Britain, said that in carrying out the League’s proposals Britain would be influenced ny the number of States participating in the reductions and guarantees. He hoped to see the Washington Treaty extended to nonsignatory Powers within a year.—tA. arid N.Z.)