SECURITY PACT

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 270, 19 October 1925, Page 7

SECURITY PACT

AGREEMENT AT LOCARNO. GEIIAIANY TO JOIN THE LEAGUE (By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.! LONDON, Oct. 17. The Western Security Pact and various arbitration treaties have all been initiated at Locarno. It is stated that they will be published simultaneously in all the capitals on Tuesday morning. This decision was reached at the request of the Germans, “in order to enable them to give the necessary explanation to the Government and the public.” It is announced that tho documents will be signed formally in London on December 1 and an extraordinary asseinbjy of the League of Nations will follow at Geneva on December 15 for the admission of Germany to the League.

After the initialling, moving speeches were delivered. Dr. Stresemann declared on behalf of Germany that he adhered without reserve to the various decisions arrived at. M. Briand thanked Dr. Stresemann for his attitude and said France would show her appreciation. Air Chamberlain, AL Vandervekle (Belgium) and Signor Mussolini also spoke. M. Briand then thanked Air Chamberlain and said that although lie had been named president of the conference, ho in reality acted as such. DRAAIATIC SCENES.

The final scenes in Locarno were dramatic. The historic town was specially decorated and thousands of people gathered in front of the conference hall.

M. Rollin appeared, holding up the treaty to the public view, whereupon there was a great outburst of enthusiasm. M. Briand and Herr Luther came to the window and shook hands in full view of the crowd, who then called for Air Chamberlain, who was greatly cheered. Earlier in the day Air Chamberlain had been serenaded by a band in celebration of his birthday,- and a little girl, dressed in Swiss national costume. presented a basket of orchids on behalf of tho Alayor and crowd assembled in front of his hotel. Mr Chamberlain and his wife appeared on the balcony and bowed their acknowledgments. Alasses of flowers came from Herr Luther, Signor Mussolini and others.

M. Briand, at tho speech-making, declared he would be lacking in the spirit of justice if he failed to recall and salute the act of courage wherein lay the origin of tho conference, namely. Dr. Stresemaim’s memorandum to the French Government. Between France and Germany there were still points of friction and the pact must be the ointment for such wounds.

Air Chamberlain, in answering a question by the Daily Express’s correspondent, said the British commitment did not overstep his Parliamentary declarations of policy. - The Germans’eleventh-hour attempt to secure a written guarantee of the evacuation of Cologne on a specific date failed. The Allies were adamant and held to their previous arrangement to evacuate alter tho ratification of the pact. SITUATION SAVED.

The Polish question lias been cleared up, hut the manner of it is not disclosed. The Poles, however, say the British delegates saved the situation. French feeling, as reflected in tlie newspapers, is that the pact may he a real safeguard against war, hut France must guard against German attempts to secure compensation for adherence to the pact. Berlin comment is restrained, pending the publication of the documents, hut Die Vossiche Zeitung says the peoples of Europe have advanced a further step towards peace.LIGHT OF A NEW HAWN. Most London papers withhold comment, pending receipt of the details, but the Times says: “The little town of Locarno, beautiful among the mountains, at the northern end of La go Maggiore, has now its assured place of history. The worst of the long travail is over. Storm-tossed and disillusioned by the startling contrast between brilliant hopes and incredibly sordid experience, the peoples are vaguely incredulous of a real, certain peace. The shadows of that incredulity, that prolonged disillusionment, may linger a little while, but the light of a new dawn is at last breaking upon the world. The Treaty of Locarno is a genuino Treaty of Peace. The profound significance of the Locarno meeting is that the chief belligerents in the war have solemnly bound themselves to make the maintenance of peaco in Europe an affair of their mutual honour. “The war is over at last. Something new is beginning. There have been petty, timorous suggestions that, by committing the country to a guarantee of peace on the most dangerous frontier in Europe, the Government may be pledging the rising generation to a new war in an uncertain future. The suggestion is ridiculous. For us to abandon Europe would be to call down upon our own heads the dangers of many indefinite conflicts into which we might suddenly he plunged. The only alternative was to pledge ourselves with the European Powers nearest ourselves to joint endeavour to keep tlie peace. We were in the war. We are definitely in the peace, to our own happiness and to the relief of Europe.”

SOVIET REBUFFED. The Daily Mail says: “The point which has struck the British public is that the bitterest intrigues against the treaty have been from the Soviet representatives. Fortunately, they have been without success. The desire of the Bolsheviks is to keep Europe in a state of turmoil, unrest and confusion, and thus promote anarchy and revolution.” The Daily Herald says: “It would be foolish to conceal, even at the moment of congratulation, a suspicion that one of the aims of British diplomacy in Locarno has been the isolation of the Soviet Union and its confrontation by a solid bloc of European States. If that suspicion is not justified, if there is no mental reservation in tho profession of pacifism, then the pact will be a substantial gain.’’—A. and N.Z. cable. BEGINNING OF NEW PERIOD. LONDON, Oct. 17. The Locarno Pact has boen initialled as a treaty between Germany, Belgium, France, Britain and Italy, and arbitration conventions between Germany and Belgium, Germany and France, Germany and Poland, Germany and Czechoslovakia, all of which will be signed in London on December 1. Furthermore, separate agreements have been concluded between France, Poland and Czeeho-Slovakia, arising out of the foregoing and will in due course bo deposited with the League of Nations. The proceedings wound-up with cordial speeches by Mr Chamberlain, M. Briand, Signor Mussolini and Dr.

Strcsemann, tho last-named joyfully greeting the great development of tho idea of European peace and said he hoped the treaties would mark the beginning of a period of common cooperation among the nations. —A. and IS.Z. cable. REMARKABLE PROGRESS. WASHINGTON, Oct. 10. President Coolidge regards the Locarno Treaty as an indication of remarkable progress and an event of the greatest importance to the world. The President believes it will enable similar agreements to be reached on other important European questions and thus lend to disarmament. In his opinion it will go far towards ensuring the success of an American disarmament conference such as ho had planned to call last spring.—A. and N.Z. cable. HOPE FOR THE FUTURE. NEW YORK, Oct. 16. There is a probability of a disarmament conference following the Locarno agreement, according to Sir Esme Howard, British Ambassador to the United States, who arrived to-day to resume his post at Washington. He said: “There is now hope for tho future. There will be a restoration of confidence, with France and Germany together again on an amicable basis.” —A. and N.Z. cable.