WORLD DISARMAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20990, 29 September 1931, Page 12

WORLD DISARMAMENT.

CONFERENCE AT GENEVA.

AUCKLAND INTEREST AROUSED

IDEAL OF LASTING PEACE /

The perpetuation of peaco through progressive, universal disarmament was eloquently pleaded at the Town Hall last evening at a meeting held under the auspices of the "Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. The meeting was held as a final rally in the .Auckland campaign to securo signatures to the disarmament petitions now being circulated throughout tho countries of the world, for presentation at. the disarmament conference at Geneva next February. Tho chairman was Sir George Fowlds, who read letters of apology from Mr. Forbes, Mr. Coates and Mr. Holland, who had been asked to attend. Sir George said he understood tho three party leaders would shortly address a meeting on the question in Wellington. The speakers were Mesdames E. Gibson and M. B. Soljak, Archdeacon G. Mac Murray, the Jlev. Ivo Bertram, Messrs. T. Bloodworth, J. A. Lee and K. H Melvin. The opinion was generally expressed that another war between nations armed with all tho deadly resources of modern science would destroy civilisation. The terrific cost of the last war in lives and money was dwelt on. It was stated that 9.000,000 lives had been lost in the last international conflict, and that (lie cost in money was £50,000,000,000, while to-day the nations of tho world were spending £890,000,000 yearly in preparations against the possibility of another war. The saving of such enormous sums, through disarmament, it was claimed, ;would mean for many the difference between poverty and comfort, and would release large sums for expenditure in humanitarian channels. One speaker said that, of every pound levied as taxation in Britain, 14s was required to pay the cost of past wars and preparation for the next. The old adage, "If you would have peace, prepare for war," was condemned as one of the conventional lies of civilisation Stress was also laid on the fact, that, although Germany had been compulsorily disarmed, tho other nations had yet to fulfil the pledge given by them by Article 8 of the Treaty of the Covenant of the League of Nations:— "That the maintenance of peace requires ' the reduction of national armaments." The following motion, proposed by the chairman and seconded by Mr. Egerton Gill, was carried unanimously:—"That this meeting of Auckland citizens calls on the Government to instruct New Zealand's representative at the disarmament conference yat Geneva in 1932 to support progressive, universal disarmament in order to promote lasting peace through- - out the world." It was announced that 13,000 signatures to the petitions circulated in New Zealand had so far been obtained, and that there were still hundreds of forms to be returned. The results achieved in other countries, on tho latest information to hand, were also cited, and the opinion was expressed that, on the final figures, New Zealand's total would stand comparatively high.