Disarmament

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 199, 8 August 1923, Page 5

Disarmament

A Scheme for Europe LEAGUE COMMISSION'S PLAN. GUARANTEES AGAINST ATTACK. [By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.) London, August 7. Tho “Morning Post’s” Paris corres)x>ndent states that while the Allied Governments are disunited over reparations a commission of the League of Nations has been sitting in an obscure pudding outside Paris deliberating on a plan which, if realised, should reduce tile problem to a shadow. The Council of the League a year ago referred to a mixed commission, including Lord Robert Cecil, the question of devising a scheme of disarmament conditional upon mutual guarantees against unprovoked attack. The commission has made rapid progress and a scheme is to be presented to the Council at Geneva on September 3. Tho scheme proposes that all members should reduce armaments. Every member complying is guarantted in return by all others against a foreign enemy. Any Power refusing to accept the prit ciple will not be expelled from z the League, but. on the other hand, it could not expect protection under the guarantee. The correspondent says: “I am informed the guarantee is of a most serious and binding character, and the signatory Powers would be compelled in honour to obey the decision of th' Council should that body decide that a member was attacked without sufficient cause.

Regarding inter-State agreements, it is recognised that States such as Poland and Roumania. might be attacked within 24 hours whereas others would have time to prepare a defence, and the general guarantee convention co.uld not operate until the Council had decided whether aggression had occurred. It is therefore proposed that a nation subjected to aggression should have the right to defend itself in common with an allied nation before the Council has given its decision, provided treaties of alliance have been previously approved bv the Council.”—(A. and N.Z.)