“PEACE IS PROCLAIMED”

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 444, 28 August 1928, Page 9

“PEACE IS PROCLAIMED”

Solemnity Marks Signing of Pact NEW TASKS FOR STATESMANSHIP FOUR minutes sufficed for the signing of the War-Outlawry Pact at Paris. The ceremony itself was simple and sincere. “Peace is proclaimed,” s aid M. Aristide Briand, the French Foreign Minister, summing it all up; “but it still remains necessary to organise peace in the face of difficulties. That is to be the work of to-morro w.”

Reed. noon. RUGBY, Monday. The Kellogg Peace Pact was signed at the French Foreign Office. Germany was the first signatory, and Britain and the Dominions collectively were the fifth. . The entire signing occupied four minutes. “You have the moral authority of the world behind you in this pact,” was the keynote of M. Briand’s welcoming speech to Mr. Kellogg and the other signatories. The Pact was inspired, he said, by the nations’ deep yearning toward peace. Could there be offered to the civilised world a greater hope than that Germany, of her own free will, was signing such a document with some of her former adversaries. Further, for the first time in half a century, France had the privilege of welcoming a German Foreign Minister, to whom he was glad to see homage was being paid, for his courage and force of mind, in dictating this adhesion for the maintenance of peace. The League of Nations could not but rejoice at the signing of the Pact, which was offering a kind of general re-insurance finally that the threat of war would no longer overrule the social, political and economic life of the people. The Pact was sighed shortly after 3 o’clock in the Clock Room, by the delegates of 15 Powers. The delegates sat at tables arranged in a horseshoe position, which was considered a good omen. IN WILSON’S PLACE M. Briand, the French Foreign Minister, presided. On his right sat Mr. Kellogg, in the exact place which President Wilson occupied nearly 10 years ago, during the plenary session of the Peace Conference. After M. Briand’s speech had been translated into English, the French Foreign Minister read the Pact. He then invited the delegates to sign, and each in turn proceeded to a little oblong table upon which lay two copies of the Pact, one in French and the other in English. Each member affixed his signature to both copies with the golden pen which the City of Havre had presented to Mr. Kellogg.

Dr. Stresemann signed first, by virtue of his country (Allemagne) coming first in alphabetical order. Lord Cushenden signed in his dual capacity on behalf of Great Britain and the countries of the British Empire which are not members of the League of Nations and also on behalf of India. Mr. W. L. Mackenzie King signed for Canada, and Senator McLachlan for the Australian Commonwealth. Mr. W. T. Cosgrave signed on behalf of the Irish Free State. Thus, with simple ceremony, this treaty of peace was consummated; but by wireless telephony the proceedings were heard by thousands of people in all countries, and the films which were taken will enable the scene to be witnessed by thousands of others, Mr. Kellogg has written to Mr. Baldwin, the British Prime Minister, warmly thanking him for the British Government’s invitation to visit London on his way back to America. He says he hopes before very long to pay a visit to London, where he made a host of friends during his ambassadorship. He is unable, however, to make a visit at present. ELOQUENT SPEECH M. Briand prefaced the historic ceremony with a brief speech. He said he was terribly conscions that silence would best befit such a solemn occasion, but he felt it to be his duty to acknowledge how much his country appreciated that Paris had been chosen as the scene of the signature of the Peace Pact. “All of us are thinking of Sir Aus-

ten Chamberlain, who is absent today,” he said, “and we can easily imagine the feelings he would have at the sight of this great reunion for peace. What greater lesson could be offered to the civilised world than this assembly, iu which, for the signing of the Pact against war, Germany, of her own free will, takes part on a level with her former adversaries?”

ists, whose protests added to the din, momentarily drowning M. Briand’s voice.

Unlike the Locarno ceremony, there was only one speech, M. Briand’s, delivered to the accompaniment of purring cinemas and the movietone camera recording both speech and action. Three fierce floodlights were pouring upon the delegates, and particularly distressed M. Briand and Dr. Stresemann. The latter was constantly moppping his head. Otherwise there was no sound till the finish, when a burst of cheering, in recognition of one of the most effective and dignified speech of M. Briand’s career. The speech lasted 17 minutes, after which came the translation into English, and then the bi-lingual reading of the pact’s two main articles. The signing followed. Both French and English versions of the-pact were on Japanese vellum. The ceremony terminated without fuss, as it begun. Millions of wireless listeners all over Europe were rather surprised to hear the announcer’s formal “The ceremony is now over.” Whatever Dr. Stresemann’s earlier feelings were, he was most delighted at the continuous cheers while walking to the rosewood table to sign, and returning. Mr. Kellogg, who was next had difficulty in making the pen wr,,e. There was a storm of cheers as M. Briand signed. After him came Lord CCushendun and then the Dominion representatives. When the signing was over the tenseness relaxed, the delegates mutually congratulating each other before hurrying to M. Briahd’s official house to take tea.

Dr. Stresemann, German Foreign Minister, had laboured for three years for the general principles of peace which were here involved. The League of Nations had already sought to make

progress in the same direction of peace, but it was the presence of the United States of America which rendered this gathering so portentous. For the first time in the history of the world, war was being renounced unreservedly as an instrument of national policy—that was, in its most specific and dreaded form—selfish and wilful war. In future, that country which dared to break the undertaking to which its signature had been given would incur the unconditional condemnation of all the signatories of the Pact. The Pact was a direct blow to the menace of war. “Henceforth,” added M. Briand, “we have a sacred duty to do. All that we can do must be done that hope will not be disappointed. Peace is proclaimed, but it still remains necessary to organise it in the face of difficulties. That is to be the work of tomorrow.” THANKS OFFERED UP Peace Pact thanksgiving services were held at r practically all the churches throughout the country yesterday. The King, who is at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, attended the Crathie Church. The Rev. Charles Warr, who preached the sermon, described the Pact as the greatest moral and spiritual venture upon which the human race had ever embarked. Special services are being held today in the parish churches throughout England and in the overseas Dominions. The significance of this impressive effort to promote peace on earth is being recognised in the services, at which, in many instances, all denominations joined. PURRING CINEMAS WHILE FLOOD-LIGHTS GLARE CHEERS FOR STRESEMANN (Australian Press Association) Reed. 12.10 p.m. PARIS, Monday. The proceedings were, most punctual. M. Briand rose at 3.2, and read his speech. Photographers noisily clambered into chairs to snapshot him, and thus shut off the view of journal-

BRILLIANT COLOURS

PERFECT SUMMER’S DAY BRIAND WAITS AND DOZES (Australian Press AssociationJ Reed. 12.20 p.m. PARIS, Monday. The scene in the Clock Room of Quai D’Orsay was most picturesque and was heightened by the striking colours of ushers in eighteenth century costumes, blue coats, silver epaulettes, red satin breeches, and white stockings. These amid the crimson and gold of the salon, with the red plush chairs around the horseshoe table, were thrown into dazzling relief by the glare of the white cinematograph lamps. Crowds gathered early, at one o’clock on a perfect summer’s day, along the Seine quaysides becadse the Prefect forbade assembling ,near the building. The throng soon was so dense that trams were suspended. Mr. Kellogg and his wife were glowing from the reception given them, the former, bareheaded, bowing from his car for four minutes in acknowledgement of the people’s plaudits.

Though the central figure of the ceremony Mr. Briand dozed peacefully till summoned to the Ambassador’s Salon, from which he led the stately procession to the horseshoe table in the hollow of which reposed Louis Phillip’s rosewood table bearing copies of the pact. On Mr. Briand’s right sat Dr. Stresemann, M. Hymans, Signor Manzoni, Count Uchida, M. Zaleski, Dr. Benes.

On the left of Mr. Kellogg were Lord Cusliendun, Mr. W. L. Mackenzie King, Sir James Parr, Mr. J. S. Smit, and Mr. W. Cosgrave.

STRESEMANN AND POINCARE

A LONG INTERVIEW GERMAN PRESS GRABS CHANCE (Australian and N.Z. Press Association) Reed. 1.10 p.m. PARIS, Monday. Not the least interesting of the day’s preliminaries was Dr. Stresemann’s 80 minutes’ interview with M. Poincare, after which both were like oysters. Everyone surmised that the ground has been prepared for reopening negotiations for evacuation of the second Rhineland zone and readjustment of the Dawes payments. Dr. Stresemann' emerged wearylooking, but he posed for many photographs into which M. Poincare declined to he drawn. Dr. Stresemann meets Dr. Mueller, the German Chancellor, at BadenBaden on Saturday to report the interview for Dr. Mueller’s guidance at Geneva, but the general impression is that there will be long-range conversations between Wilhelmstrasse and the Quai D’Orsoy instead of over Genevois tea-cups. A Berlin message says the German Press has not allowed the Pact ceremony to .pass without exploiting national grievances. The “Achtuhrblatt” publishes a cartoon of Mars telephoning Mr. Kellogg and asking: “Do you really think that from now on I phall be able to live on the unemployment dole?” The “Allgemeine Zeitung” urges that disarmament should follow the outlawing of war, while the outlawing of war should be followed by outlawing the spirit of Versailles. The newspapers sympathetically display a Soviet Note demanding the convening of the League Disarmament Commission. It is noteworthy that editorial comment on the ceremony does not refer to the historical significance %f the Pact.