NATIONS' ARMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21342, 17 November 1932, Page 11

NATIONS' ARMS

FRENCH PROPOSALS

GERMANY DISSATISFIED

OWN DEMANDS OBSCURED

ONLY ONE POINT APPROVED

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright

(Received November 16, 5.35 p.m.) Times Cable LONDON, Nov. 15

The postponement until Thursday of Sir John Simon's speech at Geneva is believed to be not unconnected with an attempt to bring Germany back to the fold, but official hints from Berlin discourage that hope, and suggest, that tho French plan will prolong tho discussion for five years.

The feeling is that the plan is designed solely to perpetuate French political supremacy, while tho aim of the proposed arms pool is believed to be to save Franc© scrapping her own huge quantities of war materials, thus destroying Germany's hopes of equality. Germany will be able to adhere to tho security proposals only when the peace treaties are revised.

The German press unanimously deplores the manner in which Franco, so it alleges, has obscured the plain issue of Germany's armaments demands with masses of formulae. Some of the newspapers, however, admit that the French plan provides a basis for discussion. An official German broadcast statement to-day brusquely announced that the Government regards the French disarmament plan as inadequate. Authoritative circles declare that the 6cheme aims, not at world disarmament but at the political organisation of Europe according to French ideas and that it would perpetuate French political supremacy because the Powers not guaranteed security would be compelled to seek the protection of the French Army. The Berlin correspondent of the Times says the only point Germany approves is the standardisation of European armies with tho implicit acknowledgment of Germany's rights of renunciation of Part V. of the Versailles Treaty as a discriminatory statute for Germany.

FAVOURABLE COMMENT

PARIS NEWSPAPER

CONTRIBUTION TO PEACE

PARIS, Nov. 15

Most of the French newspapers com ment favourably on tho French disarnia ment plan.

Le Journal says no more serious controbution to world peace has been made since M. Herriot, in 1924, tabled the draft of the protocol based on arbitration, security and disarmament.

BRITAIN'S SCHEME

ANNOUNCEMENT TO-DAY

BAN ON AERIAL WARFARE

LONDON, Nov. 15

In order to meet the general convenience of the delegates to the meeting of the Bureau of theDisarmamentConference, and partly to give time for a more complete study of the French plan, the British Foreign Secretary, Sir John Simon, has postponed until Thursday his announcement to the Bureau of the new British disarmament proposals. To-day Sir John had a further conversation with Mr. Norman Davis, United States. British, French and Italian experts also were actively engaged together consulting on naval aspects of disarmament.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Mac Donald, was asked in the House of Commons for a definite undertaking that Britain should not be pledged at the Disarmament Conference to any scheme for the international control of civil aviation which might impede the development of Imperial air transport. Mr. Mac Donald again refused to make any departure from the normal practice when Governments are engaged in important negotiations. Cheers greeted this answer, and also a supplementary question which inquired whether the Prime Minister was aware that an overwhelming majority of the members of the House would support him on the policy outlined by Mr. Baldwin on Friday evening.

Britain's disarmament plan includes the abolition of military aircraft in principle. It admits that complete abolition is not immedately practicable, hence it proposes stages, the first of which should be an immediate drastic reduction of military aeroplanes.