EUROPEAN PEACE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18553, 13 November 1934, Page 7

EUROPEAN PEACE

BRITISH RESPONSIBILITY HANGER OF WEAKNESS WORK FOR DISARMAMENT (British Official Wireless.) Roc. noon. RUGBY, Nov. 12. Mr Anthony Eden, speaking at Stratford-on-Avon, said lie was not an alarmist about the future of Europe, lie did not believe in (lie imminence of war, but, no man could deny the difficulties ami dangers of the present time. Britain’s responsibilities must be shouldered, and while supporting the league of Nations, while working for the Disarmament Conference, while seeking to strengthen the collective peace system, they could not, in the interval, ignore the needs of their own defence, the strength or weakness of which might, one day have formidable consequence for the peace of the world.

He had never believed in unilateral disarmament. Britain’s armaments must be directly related to those of other countries, and she could never be indifferent to the policies in this respect which were being pursued by other nations, whether in Europe or elsewhere. On the other hand the view of the National Government was that the signature of a general disarmament convention would reduce the chance of war and bring a sense of security to a distracted world.

Herr von Ribbentrop, Herr Hitler’s disarmament envoy, is expected to call on Mr. Eden at the Foreign Office this afternoon.