PREVENTION OF WARS

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1935, Page 7

PREVENTION OF WARS

ECONOMIC SANCTIONS EFFORTS TO URE PEACE. UNDERSTANDING AMONG NATIONS. PROGRESS OF LEAGUE’S WORK. “If there is one thing the world is clearly agreed upon it is in its general desire for peace,” said Mr. C. E. Bellringer last night when speaking to the New Plymouth branch of the League of Nations Union on the subject of economic sanctions. He admitted that the actions of some countries under dictatorships might run them into war before they realised it, but he contended that an influence for peace was a widespread fear that war would mean the end of civilisation and all that had been attained through the years for human progress. Any movement in the direction of keeping peace must therefore have not only the approbation but also the support one and all. ■ It seemed to him utterly mad that nations should take part in a war that; brought such devastation, waste and loss of human life, continued Mr. Bellringer after describing what he saw during a visit to the old battlefronts between Ypres and Amiens in 1920. He came away decided that he would support the cause of peace, he said. “I am not a pacifist,” he explained, “because it seems to me circumstances may arise under which, with the greatest repugnance, we may be forced to support the cause of arms.” “Economic and financial sanctions” were sometimes called “the economic weapon,” said Mr. Bellringer. Quoting from literature on the subject he pointed: out that before they would accept limita-; lion or reduction of arms many nations sought promises of help in case of at-, tack. They asked other nations to agree! to take collective action in their defence and against the aggressor. Further, nations joining in a disarmament agreement wanted an assurance that it would be carried out by all the others; they looked for “guarantees of control and execution.” COMPLIANCE OF STATES. These were the major instances of a general problem in organising peace and co-operation between the nations. The problem was how to secure the compliance of States. What measures were to be taken against a State that failed to carry out its obligations or to accept the decisions of international authorities whose jurisdiction it had recognised? Other States might go to war against the State that had broken its covenant. If they did they would cease to have friendly intercourse of any kind with it. They could decide to cease to have intercourse without going to war. Among the most important measures of non-intercourse they could apply were those often called “economic and financial sanctions.” There were times when the economic pressure involved might be more formidable than the military effort. It was extremely difficult to obtain information throwing any great light on the subject. The League of Nations had set up an economic committee and a finance committee, each comprising 12 to 15 men, not representatives of particular nations but selected by the Council itself for their eminence in the commercial, financial and economic affairs of Europe, including economists and statisticians. The committees met separately but from time to. time they met together. Their recommendations, which were generally unanimous, represented no particular Government and aimed at the general cause of world peace. This side of the League’s work was little known, continued Mr. Bellringer, who instanced the recent efforts being made to secure the co-operation of nations in respect to air defence and attack, so that there should be effective forces available against any nation making war in the air. Economic sanctions had not yet been applied, it being recognised that there was not yet sufficient agreement among the nations. Only by close agreement 'among the nations could sanctions be applied. CONFIDENCE NEEDED. Many to-day were looking for signs of returning confidence, without which no progress could be made.. Undoubtedly the world to-day, economically and financially, was largely oppressed by a sense of fear and was being held back because of that. In America the conditions were such that they were looking for palliatives and means of overcoming difficulties that appeared insurmountable. The League of Nations aimed at securing confidence through the work of the committeees he had mentioned, to convince the nations that it was a bad thing to have recourse to war. “Cannot we bring economic pressure to bear on a recalcitrant nation?” said the League, and it sought to unite the nations controlling world affairs that they might together by economic means prevent another nation disrupting the world with war. The proposal to apply economic pressure was criticised on the ground that it was not less human to bomb noncombatants from the air than to starve them to death by the applications of sanctions. In Germany during the war innocent non-combatants suffered from the blockade of the Allies, and Mr. Bellringer suggested that to some extent the troubles in that country to-day might be partly caused by the fact that many | of the adults suffered privations as children during the war. They had to look at the question carefully, but Mr. Bellringer was inclined to think that sanctions would be preferable to recourse to arms.

Unfortunately the people of the world were subjected to the influence of the pomp and pageantry of war; gorgeous uniforms and display sometimes roused in them feelings that led them on to war without thinking of the consequences. One man had suggested recently that if instead of glorifying war they glorified peace and its benefits great good would be accomplished. They could not expect everything to chance at once. Time must elapse before the nations could be persuaded to change the methods of the past and look at life from an entirely new angle. Swifter means of travel, including aerial transport, tended to make frontiers disappear and to break down prejudices. Surely the day would come when the nations would learn that they could best serve themselves and humanity in general by co-operating to eliminate the causes ot war.

Miss Elsie Andrews presided at the meeting, which was held in the Victoria League room. Mr. G. H. White proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Bellringer. Mr. F. P. Grundy gave a recitation and Mr. F. R. P. Fredric played pianoforte solos.