WORLD DISARMAMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20705, 1 May 1929, Page 9

WORLD DISARMAMENT

, •. I MEETING OF COMMISSION. , . . CHIN A AND CONSCRIPTION. (United Press Association.; (By; Electric Telegraph—Copy right. ■ . , ’ GENEVA, April 27. At the! meeting of the Disarmament Commission the China delegation consented to - , the question of the abolition of conscription being referred to the Disarmanuent Conference proper because the other delegations considered it to be outsidp the scope of the present commission. ; China, however, reserved the right, if | necessary, to adopt conscription. Count ; Bevnstorff - (Germany) said they weija hot asking the Powers already disarmed to disarm. He hoped that the future conference would not degenerate j.ijito. a conference for mutual protection against disarmament.— (LangHtikr.) .—Australian Press Association. - i ■ , . BRITAIN’S LAND ARMAMENTS, ~ I A .CONTINUOUS REDUCTION. I ({British Official Wireless.) ’ 1 • . RUGBY, Aprir2o. Lord. Cushendun said ..it was quite true, as the French delegate had said, that the, question of distinction between limitation • and reduction had already been discussed and settled. Nevertheless, it ;was very important to bear in mind the distinction between the two, because {if reduction were to be substituted fair limitation in that convention they mijjht very well be going beyond the obligations of Article 8 of the Covenant, which laid down that there should be redriction to a level compatible with ■national safety. One could not tell at present | what nations, if any, had already reduced to that level, consequently if they ;were to insist upon reduction as well as. limitation in the present convention.; they might very well be going beyond; the obligations of Article 8. Great Britain... had carried out consistently _ ffir many years continuous reduction in j land armaments. At the end of the v?BSF Britain had a very large military foirce, .produced by compulsory service, vghich was an exceptional system for he f. Britain immediately returned to voluntary service, but even on that small level—which, compared with conscript: onist nations, was a very small Array-—Britain had been continually reducing}. In proof of that, he said that, compared with her pre-war army, Britain h(ad reduced nine cavalry regiments, 21 ingantry battalions, and 61 artillery batterSes, and in the last five years she had i progressively reduced her military Budgijt. In .1925, irrespective of pensions, I the British military Budget was £36,51)0,000, in 1926 it was £34,500,000; in (1927, £33,383,000; in 1(128, £32, (1(0,000; and in the present year so that during the last five years] Britain bad been continuously and progressively reducing her military Budget. At the same time she had carried amt a progressive diminution in her land (forces; therefore, it was quite possible- r—though he did not assert it was ao-ytjhat when the matter came to be the Disarmament Conference it mi ght appear that Britain had already reduced to , the level required by the covenant. AMERICAN NAVAL PROPOSALS. CONSULTATION OF EXPERTS. .’ I LONDON, April. 29. (Received April 30, at 8 p.m.) * Th(3 Daily Herald’s political correspondent j'learns that private consultations between English and United States exare being commenced immediately in connection with President Hoover’s navafl proposals. It is stated that the conversations are strictly confidential. No information will be available to the public, and it is unlikely that much will „be kiaown regarding the proceedings for several weeks. Meanwhile there is a confident hope that : if England and' the Uni|ed States mutually agree there will be little difficulty in regard to others fol-lowing.—-United Service.