DISARMAMENT

Wairarapa Age, 14 August 1928, Page 2

DISARMAMENT

BRITAIN’S ACHIEVEMENT IN THE PAST. PREPARED TO DO STILL MORE KELLOGG PEACE PACT RUGBY, August 12. Referring to disarmament questions, the First Lord, of the Admiralty, Mr. William Bridgeman, at Hellifield, Yorkshire, last night said that Britain had done more in this direction than any other Power,an d she was prepared to do still more. The proposal for a multilateral pact was, in fact, only another way of proposing what, on behalf of the British Government, he proposed at Geneva a year ago. When Mr Kellogg explained what he meant by outlawry of war he showed that his idea was that no nation which signed the pact should use war as an instrument of national policy. That was a perfectly plain .statement, with which he cordially agreed. It meant that each nation could take what measure it thought fit for its 'own defence, but that each was bound in honour not to appeal to armaments in order to carry out an aggressive policy. It was/almost exactly the same thing in principle as what at Geneva Britain had 1 proposed, namely, that aggressive naval warfare should be. considered, entirely out of court, and that the Powers should come to l an agreement, as to what vessels each wanted for its own self-defence. The pact was a very long step in the right direction. Referring to the Anglo French compromise regarding proposals for a basis of naval limitation, he said: “At previous meetings -of the Preparatory Committee for the Disarmament Conference a good deal of difference was revealed between the French v_iew and the British. Since then, wehave had conversations with the French, and by Concessions on both sides we have arrived at an agreement which we hope will be accepted by all other nations. It aas nothing to do with the American multilateral pact, but it will make it perhaps easier in future to arrive, at some agreement at the Disarmament Conference at Geneva. It is officially stated at the Admiralty that there is no foundation: for any statement that may have been published that tho placing of tho contract for carrying out the naval base scheme at Singapore has been postponed pending the signature of the. Kellogg Peace Pact.—(British Official Wireless.)