ARMAMENTS PROBLEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21143, 29 March 1932, Page 9

ARMAMENTS PROBLEM.

WORK OF CONFERENCE. MUCH DIFFICULTY FACED. LOXDOX, March 20. Abolition of the more hideous forms of armament, threatening civilians as well as armies, is favoured by the British Disarmament Conference delegates. The Americans, on the other hand, consider that the problem of numbers must be faced, in order to satisfy world opinion, reports the Geneva correspondent of the Times. If the disarmament delegates are locked up until they ,are agreed the conference is likely to be of benefit, says the correspondent,. Summing up, he says that the first stage of the conference suffered by the unwieldy delegations' handling of tiie subject from innumerable facets; also by haste, which is the standing curse of Geneva; because important delegates are forced homewards or to delay pending the settlement of other pressing matters. Hitherto the conference has suffered a polite sensitiveness, not citing names of countries, but referring to tonnage and troops in algebraic terms. The Times emphasises the profound initial difficult}' which remains, that no satisfactory scientific measure has been devised whereby the defensive requirements of the various countries can be computed, nor has a starting-point been reached regarding the calculation of reductions.