ARMAMENTS DISCUSSION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20367, 23 September 1929, Page 11

ARMAMENTS DISCUSSION.

VISCOUNT CECIL'S MOVE.

COMPROMISE AT GENEVA.

VALUABLE PURPOSE SERVED

REAL STEP TOWARD OBJECT.

Australian and N.Z. Press Association. (Received September 22, 6.5 p.m.) GENEVA, Sept. 21. The Third Committee's debate on Lord Cecil's motion that it should consider limitations of materials, personnel and trained reserves, Army and NavyBudgets, also international control and enforcement of a disarmament treaty, ended in a compromise. The mover withdrew the motion in favour of one advanced by M. Politis (Greece) with which Lord Cecil was satisfied. The British view is that her new "disarmament push" has served a valuable purpose and is by no'means the failure which the emasculation of tho original motion suggests. Lord Cecil said he believed he could actually have obtained a small majority if lie had pressed his motion to a division. He would have received tho support of all the Dominions, Scandinavian countries and ex-enemy countries against tho Little Entente led by France.

However, a narrow'victory would not really have helped the cause of disarmament and might have embittered feeling and led to obstruction later. Tho new British efforts have focussed attention anew on the people's general dissatisfaction with tho lack of progress toward a real reduction of armaments and war material.

At yesterday's meeting of tho committee Sir George Foster (Canada) strongly supported Lord Cecil's motion. He said that if it were defeated it would appear to the world that thev were perfectly satisfied with the work of the Preparatory Committee on Disarmament, which obviously was not keeping paco with tho sentiment of the worid in favour of a real reduction in armaments.