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Otago Daily Times, Issue 21258, 12 February 1931, Page 10

THE PACE OF DISARMAMENT. There is a large amount of cautious commonsense in the remark of the First Lord of the Admiralty upon naval disarmament, “I think you can go too quickly in this matter.” Nor can it be, regarded as inconsistent with the part which Great Britain took both at the Five-Power Naval Conference of last year and at the meeting of the League’s Preparatory Commission on Disarmament in November. British opinion, as expressed through the Government, has been clearly shown gs definitely favourable to the acceptance of any disarmament proposals which may gain international support. It is probable that there are nations which have come to regard Great Britain as the prime mover in the endeavour to secure fresh guarantees of the preservation of peace. There is a disposition on their part to look to Great Britain to set an example in her plans for disarmament provided' other Powers are prepared to co-operate with her. In the near future, possibly within 12 months, will be held the International Disarmament Conference for which the Preparatory Commission has already prepared a draft convention. It is hoped that at this conference some fifty or sixty countries, including Russia and the United States, will be represented, and that an agreement will theh .be reached of such a character as will give effect to the proposals of the Preparatory Commission. lii the time that must elapse before the conference assembles it is desirable that every effort shall be made by the sympathetic nations to create a popular sentiment that will inspire the more laggard Powers with a realisation of the real importance and value of disarmament by agreement. This view ivas not expressed too strongly by the British Foreign Secretary in a speech this week in which he said that “the friends of peace had 12 months in which to mobilise opinion in favour of a great opportunity which might not recur.” Mr Henderson was assuredly not exaggerating when he added that if another war should unfortunately occur it would bring with it destruction of life on a scale such as had not been imagined, and that the catastrophe might actually engulf civilisation itself. Great Britain has demonstrated a desire to embrace disarmament in the widest sense consonant with considerations of national security, and is prepared to go a long way in providing a basis for amicable agreement among the Powers. Yiscourit Cecil, a zealous worker in the cause of world peace, was doubtless expressing the opinion of the majority of Britons when, in a recent speech, he remarked in regard to the proposed conference; “For once our interests and our duty obviously coincide.” He added that it might be necessaiy to pay a price for disarmament in the way of promising to defend any nation which, after subscribing to limitation treaties, should be attacked. It is not necessary to accept the somewhat doubtful logic of this reasoning., but the implication that if sacrifices are entailed in the interests of peace Great Britain will be prepared to make them may be accepted. His reminder that it is the responsibility of the British people to stand behind its Governments in disarmament negotiations cannot be neglected, for it is necessary, if the confidence of other and smaller nations in the convention is to be fostered, that Great Britain should express unreservedly her sympathy with and readiness to participate in measures of disarmament. “We must make it clear to other nations that we regard disarmament as fundamental to our relations with them,” Viscount Cecil said. “We must say to them, ‘lf you desire pur friendship, you must make it possible for us to carry out this policy.’ ” The next few months will be important to the International Disarmament Conference, for in this period its decisions, as reflections of international public feeling, will to a large extent be made. It would, therefore, be most unfortunate if anything should happen that might conceivably be interpreted as betraying a tendency towards a weakening of the resolution of Great Britain towards disarmament. The danger which Mr Alexander indicated, that too much might be made towards disarmament, certainly exists, but there is another danger also to be avoided—-that _of exciting the impression among foreign nations that there is any cooling of British sympathy with the principle of disarmament as a means of ensuring international peace.