PEACE PARLEYS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22611, 26 December 1936, Page 9

PEACE PARLEYS

AMERICAN REPUBLICS END AT BUENOS AIRES CHALLENGE TO THE WORLD By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received December 20, 5.5 p.m.) BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 24 The inter-American conference on the maintenance of peace yesterday ended a three-week session with the Foreign Ministers of Paraguay and Bolivia pledging their countries to settle the Gran Ghaco dispute on the Pacific. The United State Secretary of State, Mr. Cordell Hull, who is suffering from a cold, praised the treaties in which 21 American Republics had agreed to consult together on common defence in the event of the threat of war from within or without and to attempt to find common neutrality course in the event of war anywhere else in the world. "We must destroy war or war will destroy us," said Mr. Hull, in challenging the rest of the world to follow America's example in charting the course of peace. Armistice terms in the war between Paraguay and Bolivia over the Gi'an Chaco were initialled by representatives of the two countries on June 9, 1935, after 13 days of mediation by the representatives of five neutral South American countries. The war, which would have been in progress for three years on June 15 of that year, had been responsible for at least 100,000 casualties. The agreement provided for direct peace negotiations between the belligerents. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS BUENOS AIRES MEETING SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS (Received December 2.">, 0.1.3 p.m.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 24 President Boosevelt lit a community Christmas tree in a public park at Washington to-dav. In a broadcast address he said the results of the peace conference at Buenos Aires were a tribute to the spirit of Christmas and an example to the world. He reminded listeners of the immortal story of Dickens about Scrooge and the lesson Christmas had taught him.