WORLD PEACE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 236, 4 September 1929, Page 8

WORLD PEACE.

3 P-M- EDITION

A CLEARER VISION.

ADVANCE SINCE 1924.

PRIME MINISTER AT GENEVA.

deceived September 4, 1.50 p.m. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, Sept. 3. Mr Ramsay MacDonald, the British Prime Minister, addressed the Assembly of the League of Nations this afternoon. He said that during the last five years many changes liad taken place, nearly, all of which had been for the advancement of peace and the strengthening of the League’s authority

“Nothing gives me greater pleasure,” declared Mr MacDonald, “than the fact that the benches which were empty in 1924 have been idled for 1929, and that Germany is present to take part in our deliberations.” ’ What they had now to do after these changes was to proceed with the work of developing the authority of the League, and of laying wider and more securely than ever the foundations of international peace. As they had realised live years ago, the problem of the League was the problem of security. Since 1924 they had started on another road. A pact of peace had been signed at Paris, and that pact was now their starting point. One of the most important contributions in this direction was the work of the conference that had just concluded at The Hague. The agreement arrived at would be signed, ho believed, in a few weeks. It was, however, a proud moment for all of them to know that next week the first of the battalions would march out of the occupied area of Germany, facing homewards, never to return again.

What they wanted was that such agreement, having been made, could be the preliminary to the calling of a five Powers’ Naval Conference, the other Powers being as free to put in their proposals and Britain as free to negotiate with them as though no conversations had taken place between America and Britain.

These negotiations were not yet completed, but there was a certain measure of agreement. He did not know what final form the agreement would take. He was not at all sure that an announcement might not be made before the preseni, Assembly came to an end.

It was a hopeful, encouraging tiling that they were now met as members of the League, in the spirit of the League, with unruffled friendship, co-operating in the Work of peace. The British Government, as he was sure were all others, was desirous that the pact of peace signed in Paris should not only be a declaration on paper, but also should be translated into the Constitution, and the institutions that would work for the peace of the world.

Continuing, Mr MacDonald stated that the eLague must set itself to solve the problem of disarmament. He urged the Preparatory Commission of the League not to face the prbblem in the mentality of the possibility of war, but on the assumption that the risk of war was far less than the likelihood of peace being permanently observed. They had to ask the military advisers to believe - that there was as much security in an agreement as in a regiment of soldiers, or a battleship. NAVAL AEMAMENT.

The British Government’s special contribution towards disarmament must lie in the field of naval armament with, in the first case, some agreement such as the one between Great Britain and United States, which must not, and could not, be regarded as directed against any other nation, but rather as a helpful lead to the rest of the world.

BRITAIN TO SIGN OPTIONAL CLAUSE.

Proceeding, Mr MacDonald stated that he was in a position to announce that the British Government had decided to sign the Optional Clause, and the form of its declaration was now being prepared. It would be completed during the present Assembly. Further, His Majesty’s Governments in other parts of the British Commonwealth who were members of the League, had been consulted and he believed that each of them would instruct its delegates to sign the clause during this Assembly, but in accordance with their rights and their position at Geneva they would make their own statements on the suliject. His own hope was that this meeting of the Assembly might be known as the Optional Clause Assembly PALESTINE DISORDERS, 1 Referring to the agreement offered by Britain to Egypt, Mr MacDonald stated that the effect of it would be that Egypt would be in a position to apply for membership of the League. Referring to the Palestine disorders, 'Mr MacDonald repudiated the statement that it was a racial conflict. It was simoly the uprising of the forces of disorder, and so far as the British Government was concerned the disorder must be suppressed, whether it be caused by Moslems or Jews, Christians or non-Christians. No nation with any political responsibilities would ever yield to outbursts of disorder and criminality. He appealed to the leaders of tliose people to unite to repair what had been done. Ihe second duty was to inquire into all first duty was to get the strife ended, and order restored. That had practically been ■ done. The second dutv was to inquire into all the circumstances and take steps to prevent a recurrence of the disorder. Concluding-, the Prime Minister urged the Assembly to face the problems .of tariff barriers between the producers and consumers.