LEAGUE ASSEMBLY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 241, 8 September 1927, Page 7

LEAGUE ASSEMBLY.

NON-AGGRESSION PACTS. CONSIDERED "UNNECESSARY. DUTCH VIEWS ON DISARMAMENT GENEVA, Sept. 6. Sir Austen Chamberlain, interviewed, said: “Canada’s candidature • for a seat on the League Council is more interesting to the, Empire than any other., I will have great pleasure in supporting it.” Questioned regarding Poland’s proposed non-aggression pacts, Sir Austen replied: “The League’s Covenant already gives security, besides local agreements for eastern and western European boundaries, whereby the parties solemnly undertake not to resort to aggression. It is difficult to imagine what further security could be given. A new agreement would be the height of impolicy. It would seem to under-estimate the strength of the securities already existing. It might, indeed, subtract from them. I do nos know whether the Assembly will desire a resolution recommending, as it did in 1926, the extension of Locarno agreements to other parts of the world, but if so, I will gladly cooperate. “Britain has carried the limitation of her land forces to an extreme point and compatible with her obligations. I would gladly have seen the Washington naval limitations extended, both in respect to the classes of ships agreed to at Washington and in respect to other classes.

“The Naval Conference failed, but it brought us nearer to agreement. _ I have always held, with Viscount Cecil, that progress must be slow. First, a great conference could not bring a final, complete scheme. Probably there will be many conferences before we reach the measure of disarmament we would like. “The essence of disarmament is moral disarmament. I am against the feverish impatience which demands to do something without knowing what can usefully be done. Let us be sure what we want first.”

Within a couple of hours after Sir Austen Chamberlain had informed Dominion journalists that the present session of the League was likely to be useful, but not in the least sensational, Jonkheer Van Blokland, the Dutch Foreign Minister, delivered. a speech in the Assembly which quickly filled the vacant places and made everyone sit up and take notice. The speech traversed the whole question of disarmament, stating that the failure to carry out the economic commission’s recommendations in favour of reduced duties kept alive a constant source of friction, which often'eventually led to war.

The Minister finally tabled a resolution declaring that the time had come to restudy not the actual old Geneva but its underlying principles of security, arbitration, and disarmament.

Sir Austen Chamberlain and M. Briand followed the speech closely. The former took many notes. The Assembly then adjourned.— A. and N.Z. cable.