WORLD DISARMAMENT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21385, 13 July 1931, Page 7

WORLD DISARMAMENT

A GREAT DEMONSTRATION MEETING IN ALBERT HALL (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, July 10. (Received July 12, at 5.5 p.m.) The Prime Minister (Mr Ramsay MacDonald), who has been taking a short rdst at Chequers, will return to London to-morrow to speak in company with Mr Stanley Baldwin and Mr Lloyd George at a great demonstration in the afternoon at Albert Hall, organised by the . British League of Nations Union and other peace societies in favour of international action for a reduction of armaments and the success of next year’s World Disarmament Conference. Fieldmarshal Sir William Robertson will preside. The hall holds 10,000 people, but the speeches will be relayed to a vast open-air meeting in Hyde Park, as well as to audiences in Leeds, Hull, and other towns. Arrangements have also been made for broadcasting the proceedings in the United States and several other countries, and a talking film will bo made, which will be shown in six •countries. EXPENDITURE ON ARMAMENTS. A STAGGERING SUM. , LONDON, July 11. (Received July 12, at 7 p.m.) Apart from the timely detection and ejection of a middle-aged woman seated at the press table, who supplied stink bombs, two of which broke at the feet of Mr Ramsay MacDonald and Mr Lloyd George, and the suppression of a pair of vociferous cranks who cheered Russia and advocated international police and peace armies, the demonstration at the Albert Hall was devoid of unseemly incident. A procession of 1000 people, with banners flying, extended half ,a mile along the embankment. They marched to Hyde Park to military music and under a circling aeroplane. There were surpliced clergy, a group of girls with national standards representing 56 countries, and many white-robed members ,of women’s organisations. • Sir William Robertson presided at the hall. The audience of 10,000 unanimously passed a resolution welcoming the disarmament conference and urging the Government to make the utmost endeavours to reduce the world’s armies, navies, and air fprees. The audience included ambassadors, diplomats, high commissioners, and agents-general. ■ Mr Ramsay MacDonald said that those who insisted on an increase of armaments were inducing Armageddon) which would almost annihilate mankind. Mr Stanley Baldwin declared that the world needed the help of the United States in reconciling disarmament with national interests.

Mr Lloyd George pointed out that some Powers made Germany keep her promise of disarmament, but broke their own. The world was steadily, stupidly, stolidly marching to catastrophe, singing songs of peaije but preparing for war. Viscount Cecil urged that Britain should make her disarmament policy clear to the world. The programme announced that the world was spending £2,000,000 a day on armaments, Britain’s share of which is £2OO per minute. ; FRENCH ARMAMENTS. IMPORTANT MEMORANDUM. PARIS, July 10. A.Cabinet, meeting under the' presidency of M. Doumer drafted a new and important memorandum on armaments which M. Briand is sending, to the League of Nations. It is expected to arouse great interest in the European capitals because it stresses the necessity of France maintaining the strongest army, navy, and air force in Europe, with the object of guaranteeing her own security as well as forming the principal force guaranteeing Europe’s peace.