WORLD DISARMAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19879, 24 February 1928, Page 11

WORLD DISARMAMENT.

[RUSSIAN PROPOSALS.

ABOLITION OF FORCES.

DEATH TO MILITARISM.

OBLIVION FOR ALL WAR.

GENEVA DELEGATES GASP.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received February 23, 5.35 p.m.) £. and N.Z.-Sun. GENEVA, Feb. 22. The sittings of the Committee on Arbitration and Security "are proceeding smoothly, and the British point of view is winning over practically all the representatives of the nations who are' attending the conference. The chief interest is at present centred upon the published text of Russia's disarmament scheme, which is much more detailed than that of last year. • The preamble to the document sub-" mitted says: "As we are desirous of safeguarding the general peace, and as we consider the existence of increased armed forces constitutes an immense danger which bears the germ of fresh inevitable armed conflagrations, we solemnly acknowledge that the only true method of safeguarding the peace is a general and complete abolition of all itrnied forces." The Soviet proposes that the Powers should sign a convention providing lor complete world disarmament in four stages. The first year would certainly be a hectic one, for the proposal is that in that period half of all the effective land, sea and air forces should be disbanded. The remainder would disappear in the three following years in equal parts. Everything Military Condemned. The scheme also proposes that War Ministries and military commands should be abolished, all, military documents burned, Acts of Parliament relating to military and kindred matters repealed and material scrapped. The thoroughness with which all eventualities have been foreseen by the Soviet is shown by article 10. This stipulates that, no more military history should be written, that pictures, photographs and films dealing with past war must be consigned to oblivion, and that no one should write about war, even theoretically. When all this is done, the Soviet proposes that a maritime police service should be established for the protection of fisheries and cables, and the suppression of piracy and the slave trade. For this purpose the waters of the globe should, it suggests, be divided into 16 zones, of which the Pacific and Atlantic would count as four each, the Indian and lArctic Oceans as two each, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, the North Sea and the Black Sea as one each. Document Surprises Delegates.

In the zones the Soviet proposes that what may be." termed "sea mandates" should be created, regional groups of States to be responsible for the zones allotted to them, which should be patrolled by maritime police vessels not exceeding 3000 tons These ships should be armed with no more than two guns each, and should be manned by volunteer crews armed with no jnore than 20 rifles cr pistols. It was amusing to see the delegates airily pick up the. draft, of the Soviet's scheme, read it and then gasp. Lord Cushondun (Britain) said he thought ■ the proposals must be seriously and solemnly examined on their merits. They must not be rejected merely because they had emanated from Moscow. Progress of Committee Work. ■ The committee's general discussion on Dr. Benes' memorandum was concluded. A drafting committee was appointed to draw up a general report and to forniulate the necessary draft conventions. Herr von Simson (Germany) submitted a new German memorandum for the prevention of war,, This briefly suggests that all nations, members and non-mem-bers of the League, shall sign an agreement to accept the council's decisions in times of international crises. The Canadian delegate, Dr. Riddell, suggested that security would more effectively be advanced by disarmament than by pledges of armed assistance. The absence of armed forces on. the boundary between the United States and Canada bad promoted confidence and banished fears and suspicions, which were the enemies of security. Dr. Riddell called attention to the desirability of States which have geographical and similar difficulties considering the establishment of a Permanent Commission, comprising an equal number of each State's eminent men, for the purpose of investigating, reporting and even deciding upon those difficulties.