"CONCESSION A MISTAKE”

Taranaki Daily News, 8 February 1934, Page 5

"CONCESSION A MISTAKE”

GERMANY’S ARMS PARITY SIR A. CHAMBERLAIN’S VIEW LABOUR NOWISE SATISFIED SIR JOHN SIMON CRITICISED By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright Rec. 8.20 p.m. London, Feb. 6. Labour was in nowise satisfied with the British memorandum, said Mr. C. R. Attlee (Lab., Limehouse), who followed Sir John Simon in the House of Commons debate on disarmament. The discussions began on the basis that the world would disarm, he said, but it was now learned that immediate abandonment of offensive weapons was impossible. The White Paper in the main was a proposal for rearmament of the Germans.

The great post-war question was whether there should be rule by force or rule by law. Sir John Simon had done more to support rule by force than any post-war Foreign Minister. The utmost obtainable from the proposed convention would be a short breathing space which would be filled with manoeuvring for the next struggle.

Sir Austen Chamberlain said he had never admitted Germany had a right to parity of armaments with the Allies. It was a great mistake in the circumstances to make this concession. Nevertheless he approved the British Government’s fresh intervention. Germany should be warned that the concessions were offered only on the ground that she had no aggressive intentions on any country either by force of arms or by propaganda and would return to the League. Replying to the debate, Mr. R. Anthony Eden, Lord Privy Seal, said any action on behalf of Austria decided by the League Council must be joint and international. It was complained that the Government was not brave enough. The Government’s task was to seek agreement for the maximum disarmament obtainable. If the British proposals were accepted it would be a considerable step in the direction of disarmament while in the future policy of consultation the existence of the League was at stake. The British proposals were the alternative to catastrophe. Unless the nations accepted the memorandum or something very like it there would be no convention.

“We ask them to accept it with the least delay,” Mr. Eden said. "Only by an eleventh-hour acceptance would the world gain the greatest benefit of statecraft—namely, greater confidence between the peoples.”