WORLD’S ARMS

Taranaki Daily News, 27 September 1933, Page 7

WORLD’S ARMS

SIMON MORE OPTIMISTIC

EFFORT TO RECONCILE VIEWS

NO ANTI-GERMANY FRONT

GREAT FRENCH ADVANCE

IMPORTANCE OF BUDGETING

British Official Wireless.

Rec. 5.5 p.m. Rugby, Sept. 25. Interest at the League of Nations Assembly centres in tire disarmament discussions. Sir John Simon and Mr. R. A. Eden had a long meeting with the Dominion delegates which was almost entirely devoted to disarmament. The Sun service learns that Sir John declared himself more optimistic than for a considerable time. The French were prepared to make a much greater advance than was expected, informing him that any convention was better than none.

Because of the failure to loosen a flood of re-armament, Sir John said, Germany wanted a convention, but Baron von Neurath insisted that it must be a convention to which Germany could subscribe because Germany wanted honestly to fulfil it. Sir John told Dominion delegates that the improved Franco-Italian situation was an important augury.

The British representatives (Sir John and Mr. Eden), Baron Alois! (Italy), M. Paul-Boncour (France), Baron von Neurath (Germany), Mr. Norman Davis (United States) and Mr. Arthur Henderson (president of the Disarmament Conference) have all taken part in the exchanges of views during the week-end.

The Times says these attempts to reconcile particular interests are designed to secure maximum common ground between Britain, France, Italy and United States on a basis to which Germany can reasonably agree. There is not and there never was any question of a united front to present Germany with an irreducible scheme; it is rather the application of board-room methods for securing an agreement in merging joint interests. Evidently at the first stage nobody will allow the negotiations to break down for the sake of minor questions, though the period of concession and counterconcession has not been reached.

BUDGET ASPECT EXAMINED.

The Times mentions that parallel with the political and technical discussions the Budget aspect of disarmament is being examined and is likely to play an important part when the conference is resumed.

In retiring from the presidency of the League Assembly, Mr. Ludwig Mowinckel reviewed the world outlook and expressed keen regret that since the Great War little progress had been made toward securing a better understanding between the peoples. Oh the contrary the fear of the possibility of war was ever hanging as a constant menace over the future of the nations. It was natural, but wholly unfair, to blame the League, and it was the primary duty of the League members to strengthen the credit of the League in the eyes of the world. Referring to the World Economic Conference and the Disarmament Conference, Mr. Mowinckel said that if the great nations came to such conferences with views that were difficult to reconcile it might be said in advance that a favourable result could not be reached even if all the other Powers were 'agreed. He expressed hope in the Four-Power Pact as an instrument for appeasing Franco-German differences and possibly bringing understanding and even friendship in torn and divided Europe. In a brief speech the new president, Mr. C. T. te Water (South Africa), said South Africa had known war and experienced all its bitterness, but in later days peace had obliterated the past and he offered South Africa as an example to some of the greater nations. “I shall bring to my task the valuable experience of the young nations that comprise the British Commonwealth,” Mr. te Water said. “There are no nations more determined to keep the peace than that group.”