BRITAIN AND DISARMAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 18 December 1929, Page 11

BRITAIN AND DISARMAMENT

MR. MACDONALD QUESTIONED. ' British Wireless. Rugby, Dec. 16. Mr. W. H. Ayles (Labour) asked the Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, in the House of Commons whether Britain had commitments to the League of Nations or to the British Empire ■which prevented the House of Commons itself making any concession it desired concerning disarmament. Mr. Ramsay MacDonald replied that Article 8 of the Covenant of the League of Nations enjoined on member States, and consequently on the British Government, reduction of their armaments to the lowest point consistent with national safety and enforcement by common action of international obligations. Another article of the Covenant imposed obligations to join in action for the common enforcement of certain undertakings. Britain’s commitments, as regarded the British Empire, were dictated by the needs, of self-defence. Mr. Ayles asked whether the Government believed there was still a margin, so far as their own armaments were concerned, and that they could reduce down to what the Prime Minister had said was the level of national safety, and if not, why should they go into the disarmament conference ? The Prime Minister replied: “It is because that margin may be discovered only by international agreement that we arc going into that conference.”