CHEMICAL WARFARE

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1933, Page 5

CHEMICAL WARFARE

EXPERTS’ REPORT

PREVENTION IS IMPRACTICABLE.

(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.)

LONDON, January 6

Is it possible to ban chemical warfare? This and cognate quest.ons were submitted by the Bureau of the Disarmament Conference to a committee composed of chemical experts, naval, and military officers representing ten countries.

The committee now reports that difficulties are practically insurmountable. Chemical research, they state, serves the highest interest of mankind, and cannot be hindered.

The report says that chemical warfare can rapidly! be organised in any country possessing an important chemical industry. The use of the weapons and instruments requires m> special training. poisonous shell or gas bomb is projected in the same way as an explosive shell or an illuminating bomb.

The committee report that supervision by statistics or by the inspection of factories would have little practical effect and would at best, only delay chemical warfare, but Would-not prevent it.

The committee is equally emphatic that it is not possible to prevent preparations for bacteriological or incendiary warfare. The “Daily Telegraph,” in an editorial on the subject, says : “It by no means follows that the formal prohibition of those methods of warfare would be useless. The breach of such prohibition would justify reprisal. The best hope is that the non-belligerent States will promptly outlaw any offender.”