UNARMED FRONTIER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23203, 29 May 1937, Page 21

UNARMED FRONTIER

NOTABLE ANNIVERSARY On April 28 occurred a notable anniversary. For on April 28, 1817, there was signed the most successful disarmament treaty in history. This was the treaty known as the Rush-Bagot Treaty which brought about the total disarmament of the more than 3000 miles long frontier between Canada and the United States.

When the young American diplomat, Rush, suggested the conclusion of such a treaty it seemed as fantastically • impossible to many wiseacres of the time as the proposals of the Soviet Government for total disarmament made 10 years ago upon the assembled statesmen at Geneva, Fortunately, however, he found a sympathetic collaborator on the other side of the Atlantic in the person of Bagot. By no means the least encouraging thing about the Rush-Bagot Treaty is that it has stood the test of several grave crises in the relationships between the two 'great English-speaking peoples. For in the 120 years that have elapsed since the treaty was signed there have been moments when the two countries have come ominously close to the brink of war with one another. The fact that the frontier between the British Dominion and the United States was disarmed was doubtless a helpful factor in maintaining peace at such moments.