NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1932. AMERICA AT GENEVA

Northern Advocate, 24 June 1932, Page 4

NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 1932. AMERICA AT GENEVA

Registered for Transmission Through •the Post as a Newspaper

The great conferences which are being held at Geneva and Lausanne are so interlocked that the deliberations of one cannot be considered entirely apart from the other. Just now, however, Geneva is the cynosure of the world’s eyes, for Mr Hoover, the President of the United States, has made a dramatic proposal which, if adopted by the other Powers, would go a long way towards achieving ithe purpose of the Lausanne Conference. Mr Hoover, obviously after consultation, with his Administration, suddenly presented to the Geneva. Conference a striking programme of armaments reduction which he claims would save between £2,000,000,000 and £3,000,000,000 during the next ten years. His proposals include the abolition of all tanks, chemical warfare and large mobile guns, the reduction, by onethird, of all land armies over .and •above the so-called police component, and of the number and tonnage of all battleships allowed by the Washington Treaty. He also proposes the abolition all bombing planes, the reduction, by one-fourth, of’ the tonnage of aircraft-carriers, cruisers and destroyers, and the reduction, by one-third, of submarines, no nation to have more than 30,000 tons of submersible craft. America’s proposal is of such a farreaching nature that its spontaneous adoption by the Powers was not to be expected. America, by its isolation from Europe, is able to regard general -disarmament in a light different from that in which it is seen by European . countries divided by . only a'boundary line, but it is very heartening to hear that the proposals had a splendid, .reception. Britain’s delegates not only approved them, but indicated the Empire’s readiness to.. go forth er than Mr Hoover, though expressing doubt whether his proposals were appropriate in all respects to the varying circumstances of the different naval Powers. This may be readily understood when the trade routes of Britain, recpiiring cruiser protection, are compared, for instance, with the comparatively short seaboards of some other nations. These, however', are matters of detail upon which a large measure of agreement may be expected. Italy thrilled the conference when Signor Grandi repeated a telephone message from Signor Mussolini to the effect that Italy accepted completely and unconditionally the American proposal in its entirety. M. Paul Boncour, the French delegate, promised that France would give the scheme sympathetic consideration, but, according to a press message, his hostility was unmistakable. He constantly referred to “security,” which, during the whole course of disarmament negotiations, . has been France’s

wrecking weapon. It will no doubt be used again, but time will show to what extent those who have hitherto stood by France will feel themselves called upon to do so, if she, of all the nations, persists in her obstructive tactics. The time Js approaching when Franco must consider whether she is prepared wilfully to isolate herself from her former friends.-. The proposal made by Mr Hoover must be given most serious consideration, especially as it is unquestionably based on possibilities of war debt reductions. When Mr Hoover announced his famous Moratorium, he made it clem* that America's altitude towards war debt cancellation would be governed by the extent to which her debtors agreed to reduce expenditure, on armaments. It is clear that, apart from the - ethical aspect of Mr Hoover’s proposals to the Geneva Conference, the reductions in armaments outlined by him would allow America to wipe out a large proportion of the war debts owing to her. A tremendous responsibility rests upon the statesmen who must accept or reject the proposals made by the United States. '