DISARMAMENT PLAN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19138, 6 October 1936, Page 5

DISARMAMENT PLAN

PROPOSAL TO LEAGUE FRENCH INITIATIVE LONDON, Sept. 23. The French Government has decided formnllv to propose to the League of Nations during the present Assembly the early convocalioi of the Permanent Committee on Disarmament. This decision is understood to be the result of satisfactory discussions on disarmament betveen the French Premier, M. Blum, and the British Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, and is one of the reasons why M. Blum has decided to visit Geneva next week. If M. Blum finds that the proposal will be favourably received, after private discussions with the heads of delegations, lie will tike the first opportunity of making a statement in the Assembly. The next move wll lie with the Permanent Committed which already possesses draft proposals for budgetary limitation and other modest means of arms limitation. The Paris correspondent of The Times states: “The French Government is content to bsgin with these questions in the hope of better tilings in the future, but feels that renewed discussions, however nodes! in scope, should take place ,at the conference, and should not he lelt to treatment through diplomatic channels, with endless delays. “One othor reason nay lie inferred to lie behind the Frtncli initiative. The Popular Front Government,, though it has secured a respite by the settlement of the textile dispute, may feet the need for some wiler success in order to consolidate it.j position and enable it to take a boll initiative in financial policy. Geneva seems at, the moment the most, promiiing field for a demonstration of leaderjhip, and arms limitation is the aim host, likely to command general approval. ”