“USELESS TO CONTINUE"

Taranaki Daily News, 19 April 1934, Page 5

“USELESS TO CONTINUE"

ATTITUDE TO DISARMAMENT, FRENCH REPLY JO MOVE BY SMALLER POWERS DESIRE FOR CONVENTION By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright, Paris, April 17* The French Government will hand its disarmament reply to Britain to-night It is understood that while expressing admiration for Britain’s increased understanding of the requirements of Frenr-h security the reply refuses to agree to the legalisation of Germany’s rearmament in violation of treaties, adding that as direct disarmament conversations do not offer a prospect of agreement it is useless to continue the talks. A memorandum on the work of the Disarmament Conference put forward by five lesser Powers, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Switzerland, which is under consideration in London, is recognised as an important contribution by the lesser Powers to the cause of disarmament. The insistence which is placed in the memorandum on reaffirmation of the vital necessity of concluding a convention which provides for a reduction of armaments and not merely for their limitation is regarded as timely and accords to the proposals put forward by the British Government.

The Manchester. Guardian says: “The memorandum of the lesser Power* , makes a modest group of political proposals which should, if anything can do so, help to save the Disarmament Conference from shipwreck. The signatories are particularly well fitted by their position .in > recent history and racial composition to observe and argue without prejudice or passion. They have done so. These former neutral Powers have done a service to the conference and Europe.”

Six small Powers, Sweden, Holland, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain and Norway, sent a message to the League'of Nations expressing the opinion that there is no prospect of a large-scale disarmament agreement, and urging the conclusion of a convention limited to certain branches of armaments which the' nations must sign or incur the moral condemnation of the others.