THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1925. GERMANY AND DISARMAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19500, 8 June 1925, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1925. GERMANY AND DISARMAMENT.

The report from Berlin that Germany lias been “unpleasantly shocked” at the Note of the Allied Powers on the subject of her disarmament prompts the reflection that, the Germans are a singular people if they are still capable of being shocked at being reminded of their omission to fulfil their obligations under the Treaty of Versailles. It is stated that the opinion in authoritative circles in Berlin is that the Note of the Allies discloses a complete misconception of the extent of Germany’s disarmament. It was only to be expected that the Germans would pursue their old tactics of this description, and attempt to show that the Allies are very ill-informed respecting their country’s interest in armaments. But the attitude of injured innocence on Germany’s part is not calculated to create a favourable impression. The Allies are not working in the dark. They have taken the utmost pains to inform themselves respecting the actual position in Germany in the matter of disarmament. Their investigating Commission mad© an inquiry as exhaustive as was possible on the spot in the face of the serious obstructions which it encountered. And it obtained sufficient proof of Germany’s bad faith to convince the Allied Governments that it was inexpedient to proceed with the evacuation of Cologne in January last. The report of the Inter-Allied Commission was a carefully prepared and comprehensive document, constituting an indictment of Germany’s procedure which the Governments concerned could not ignore. The Note sent by the Allies to Berlin in January evoked, however, the usual storm of protest, and there was an official endeavour to insist that the tales of Germany’s military preparations were more empty pretexts seized on by the Allies to justify “a new act of violence.” That the latest Allied Note on the question should he followed by another valiant effort in Berlin to assert the view that Germany is a completely disarmed nation in a Europe bristling with armaments is fully in the order of things that was to be anticipated. ’Phis sort of thing cannot continue indefinitely, however, and in the meantime the position i.s very unsatisfactory as it is inimical to progress towards the reconciliation that is necessary in the interests of peace and security. Br Luther has intimated that his Government will give the new Note immediate consideration. It is to be hoped-that it will do this to some purpose. Until it can satisfy the Allied Governments that it is observing the provisions of the Versailles Treaty it will have to wait for their withdrawal from acceptance of the Rhineland, and thus a fruitful cause of resentment and friction will continue . - exist. That the German Government will endeavour te argue the position, introduce the. question of interpretation of the provi-

sions of the Treaty, and generally to evade the real issue of an actual compliance with the requirements of the Allied Note may be taken for granted. It has not been made clear whether the Note has called upon Germany to fulfil, in accordance with the French desire, a hundred per cent, of her shortcomings which the report of the Control Commission stressed, or to fulfil a sufficient proportibn of these to satisfy the British view of what would constitute effective disarmament. But it is sufficiently clear that unless Germany is prepared to face her position seriously, and to discharge her Treaty obligations as required, progress towards animprovein the European situation as the outcome of negotiations for a Western Security Pact, to which she would he a party, must he indefinitely delayed. If the German Government’s one desire is, as is affirmed, to secure a lasting peace it should be more anxious to prove its sincerity.