LIMITING ARMAMENTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21569, 15 February 1932, Page 7

LIMITING ARMAMENTS

DISCUSSIONS AT GENEVA THE SPANISH PROPOSALS COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW (United Press Association.) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) GENEVA, February 12. When the general discussion on disarmament was resumed, Don Luis De Zulueta (Foreign Minister for Spain), on behalf of the Spanish delegation, put forward a series of amendments with a view to strengthening the general convention. These included the publication of each country’s stocks of war materials, the limitation of gun calibres to 203 millimetres,, the limitation of submarine tonnage to 1000 tons (with a limited range of action, the construction of merchant vessels so that they could not be fitted with armaments, the abolition of military aviation and the international control of civil aviation. The Czechoslovakian proposals put forward by Dr Benes included the acceptance as ,t whole of the draft convention and its obligations, the interchange by countries of armaments information, the establishment of a permanent disarmament commission, the prohibition of chemical and bacteriological warfare, and the prohibition of all forms of “ offensive” warfare (more especially the aerial bombardment of civil populations). All these measures to be reinforced by a system of penalties. Czechoslovakia was willing to submit to the conference a low limit of armaments, the minimum to be compatible with safety, if other nations were prepared to do the same. Senor Zulueta submitted Spain’s further proposals to the Disarmament Conference, including the abolition of aggressive armaments, the limitation of war stocks, international control of the manufacture of arms and ammunition, the abolition of military control, and the limitation of warships to 10,000 tons. Dr Benes declared that Czechoslovakia was ready to accept the proposals of M. Tardieu (France). FRENCH DISARMAMENT PLAN. GENEVA, February 12. (Received Feb. 15, at 0.30 a.m.) Denmark opposes the French disarmament plan.