DISARMAMENT

Southland Times, Issue 20886, 23 September 1929, Page 7

DISARMAMENT

DEBATE AT GENEVA

COMPROMISE ON BRITISH PROPOSALS GOOD PURPOSE SERVED (United Press Assn.—By Telegraph—Copyright.) (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Geneva, September 21. Interest to-day is centred on the Third Committee debate on Viscount Cecil’s disarmament motion, which has been so bitterly opposed by some Continental delegates, chiefly France. Sir George Foster (Canada) strongly supported it, stating that if the motion were defeated it would appear to the world that they were perfectly satisfied with the work of the Preparatory Committee on Disarmament, which was obviously not keeping pace with the sentiment of the world in favour of a real reduction of armaments. The debate ended in a compromise, Viscount Cecil withdrawing his motion in favour of one advanced by M. Politis with which Viscount Cecil is satisfied. The British view is that her new disarmament push has served a valuable purpose and is by no means the failure which the emasculation of the original resolution suggests. Viscount Cecil believed he could actually have obtained a small majority if he had pressed the motion to a division. He would have received the support of all the dominions, Scandinavian countries and ex-enemy countries against the Little Entente led by France, but a narrow victory would not really have helped the cause of disarmament and might have embittered feeling and led to obstruction later.

The new British efforts have focussed attention anew on the people’s general dissatisfaction at the lack of progress towards a real reduction of armaments and war material.

Nearly all the small countries supported Viscount Cecil’s resolution. —Australian Press Association.

Some stir among conscript countries followed the circulation of Viscount Cecil’s motion urging the Preparatory Disarmament Commission to consider limitation of land, sea and aerial material and personnel, including the restriction of numbers and the period of training. This involves the thorny question ol trained reserves, which France does not welcome as she thinks it entails going back on the previous British acceptance under protest, during the naval discussions between Britain and France, of the French view of excluding reserves. Viscount Cecil’s motion was designed to induce a fresh attempt to find a formula to approach land and air armaments by a similar yardstick to that in the case of the naval negotiations between Britain and America.

CRUISER STRENGTH

JAPAN URGES LOWER PARITY. (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Tokio, September 21. Cabinet has decided to instruct its Ambassadors at London and Washington to present Japan’s views in urging lower cruiser parity, effecting reduction, not merely limitation. It considers that the AngloAmerican conversations are tending to an actual increase in conformity with the desired ratios.—Australian Press Association.