DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21112, 20 February 1932, Page 9

DISARMAMENT CONFERENCE

WORLD-WIDE INTEREST. PETITIONS RECEIVED. PACIFISTS AT GENEVA. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. (Received February 20. 12.15 a.tn. ) GENEVA, Feb. 19. The president of the Disarmament Conference, Mr. Arthur Henderson, formerly British Foreign Secretary, has received hundreds of good luck tokens. The city of Geneva is filled with representatives of peace societies, who haunt the conference halls and button hole the delegates. It is estimated that petitions and resolutions have been received from organisations representing 500,000,000 members. Petitions with a total of 1,500.000,000 signatures have been actually received. METHODS OF WARFARE. PROPOSED ABOLITIONS. GERMANY AND AUSTRALIA. GENEVA. Feb. 13. A German memorandum to the Disarmament Conference urges the abolition of conscription, tanks, heavy artillery, forts near frontiers, submarines, aircraftcarriers and military aircraft; also tho limitation of capital ships of over 10.000 tons, the prohibition of chemical and bacteriological warfare and a limitation of expenditure on armaments. The High Commissioner for Australia, Sir Granville Rvrie, in addressing the conference said Australia was willing to cooperate in a practicable scheme of disarmament, but thought the French Plan for an international police force impracticable. Australia favoured the abolition of submarines and of chemical and bacteriological warfare.