VIGOUR URGED

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1934, Page 5

VIGOUR URGED

POLICY ON DISARMAMENT INSISTENCE UPON REDUCTION JUSTICE OF GERMAN .CLAIM STATE OF, ENGLAND’S ARMS MR. EDEN TO TOUR EUROPE British Wireless. ( Rugby, Feb. 6. The British Government has arranged that as soon as the French political situation allows, Mr. R. A. Eden will proceed to Paris, Rome and Berlin to explain the British view on disarmament and learn by direct contact the attitude of tire other Governments to the new British memorandum. The announcement to this effect was made in the House of Commons to-day by Sir John Simon, Foreign Secretary, during the disarmament debate. The debate took place at the request of the Opposition, which showed no desire to censure the Government for its conduct in the recent negotiations nor for the substance of the new British memorandum, but which wished to enjoin upon the Government the importance of pursuing the policy elucidated in that document with the greatest possible vigour. Sir John in a frank analysis of the situation dealt with the four important documents recently published—the French aide memoire, the German reply, the Italian, memorandum and • the British memorandum. He said that the Government reached the conclusion, firstly, that confidential bilaterial interchanges had been useful, but that after two months the method was in danger of exhausting its utility, and secondly, that, although differences still existed there was a greater approach to common ground which justified the British Government making new efforts of reconciliation. From the interchanges it had emerged in the clearest way that the key to disarmament arrangement, at any rate in western Europe, must lie in finding accommodation between France and Germany. QUESTION OF OWN ARMS. “Britain has a special interest in this matter,” he said, “for it is certain that if a satisfactory disarmament agreement cannot be promptly reached and if we have to live in a world of unlimited rearmament we shall have to face the question of the state of our own armaments.” The British memorandum was not a document putting forward an ideal plan, but it was an attempt to approach the actual situation in the spirit of realism and to provide the basis for promoting an agreement. From this standpoint two inevitable deductions were reached: Firstly, Germany’s claim to arms equality could not and ought not to be resisted; secondly, no practical solution could be found on the basis that all nations of the world would immediately abandon all. weapons denied Germany by the Peace Treaty. The choice was between no reduction in armaments at all or a treaty providing for some moderate and reasonable programme of abandonment of the biggest weapons by the most heavily armed Powers.

Germany had assumed that nobody would abandon anything. “The British Government would view not only with reluctance but even with repugnance a settlement which’ provided for full equality of rights but provided for it without any disarmament in any corner of the world,” said Sir John. “Such a conclusion the Government would resist with all its might.”

Regarding effectives, the British Government insisted on the principle of parity between France, Germany, Italy and Poland. Regarding land war materials, Britain was prepared to accept Germany’s own proposals for the equipment of her short service army, but it was a mistake to suppose that Britain conceded to, or, indeed, that Germany suggested, the authorisation of further weapons to the existing German military organisation. Sir John called attention to the proposal that an international tank inquiry should take place within three years, in which Germany should participate. AIR FORCE AND GUARANTEE. It was clear to the British Government that if Germany were permited to set up a military air force at the moment when the possibility of the complete abolition of military aircraft was being discussed it would -be to the manifest disadvantage of that most important convention. The Government felt that the question of what constituted military effectives could be settled on the practical lines of good faith by a permanent disarmament commission. On the subject of security, Sir John called attention to further articles included in the memorandum and emphasised the duty of all signatories to the convention if it were signed of keeping in closest touch with each other and doing whatever was right or possible to prevent or remedy any violation of so important an international agreement. Sir John Simon described the recent-ly-signed German-Polish agreement as of very material consideration. He explained the hope that the British memorandum would be recognised as formulating definite methods whereby disarmament could begin immediately. If implemented, not only it would be unquestionably a provision for the next ten years, but also it might afford a strong and firm hope of greater things in the future. Sir John said he believed that the whole House would support the Government’s action. Every fresh delay made the solution of disarmament more difficult. If the world were thrown into a competition of unrestricted armaments they must face the fact and act accoidingly, but their first duty was to do all in their power towards reaching an agreement.