STAFF CONFERENCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26485, 12 June 1947, Page 4

STAFF CONFERENCE

GENERAL WEIR RETURNS ATOMIC WARFARE DISCUSSED P.A. AUCKLAND. June 11. The Chief of the General Staff, Major-general N. W. McD. Weir, returned to Auckland by air after attending the half-yearly Inter-service Staff Conference held in England last month by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Field-marshal 'Montgomery. He stated on his arrival that at the meeting representatives from all parts of the British Commonwealth aired their views, and from it there emerged a general pattern whicii would be worked out in detail by the combined chiefs of staff. Defence

measures for individual countries in the Commonwealth were not discussed as they were outside the scope of the study. Its aim was to establish principles which could be applied by any member of the Commonwealth. The primary object of the conference was to study the effects of atomic explosive and its very latest developments, as well as recent developments of more orthodox weapons., General Weir states. The problems were examined not only from the military view but also from the wider .point of view of the economic capabilities of the countries. The representatives at the conference included some of the leading figures in the world of science. They informed the conference of what could be foreseen from the scientific point of view, and the military requirements were considered in the light of that information.