DISARMAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 1 November 1932, Page 5

DISARMAMENT

THE FRENCH PLAN OPPOSED BY ENGLISH PRESS. (United Press Association—By Electric : Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, October 31. Tho “Manchester Guardian’s” Berlin correspondent says: Ml (cHerriot’s disarmament, plan would Germany the greatest military power in Europe. Her proposed militia could only be raiged.Jby The abolition of £j§|]ijiany’£h RCichswehr would not be t jpr itwouldbe incorporated. in. 'the re-es-tablishing .the old military’, cast in a new form. . ,To anyone acquainted with the frightful..explosive .antagonisms in Europe to-day, the idea, of M. Herriot’s international (force seems fantastic. Germany, with ai’/iiiilitia of which the, Reichshwehr would be the nucleus, would be relatively an formidable vas in 1914,' and would be. abld. to defy the world’s peace organisations, The “Manchester Gen-/ ; eva correspondent says: The French plan has . 'intensely disappointed the League circles for it is feargd that it means the re-armament of Germany. The restoration of oonscription, even in a limited,form would be a disaster to Germany and the world.!! Tho’ '.‘fyaily . /Telegraph’s”! i.f'/diplomatio correspondent says that the basic idea of the French?!disarmament plan is to reduce all of the Continental armies, to the status, .of. militias, - to. be used for purely defensive purposes, with only a small body of,, : trained soldiers, from part . of .the collective force, for the repression, ofr, aggression. The scheme is . highly .Icomplicated. From the British standpoint a most serious matter is . that the French plan render.rigid Britain’s obligations under Artiyte-' Sixteen of the League of Nations .Covenant, and under the. Riheland Lpcarndr.Pact. ; V r '..V:-;.. ... , FRANCE’S BUDGET DEFICIT.

."PARIS, October 31. • • Referring’ ’budget crisis, M. Poitiers, admitted that "the deficit for the year 1933 .would be ninety-six millions ’ sterling. They had,:hQweY&r, already saved forty-one and a-half million?; by the funding of’the internal debt and eleven and a-h.ldf millions by reducing their military appropriations. One quarter of the total, budget now went to national defence. *' y