PEACE & GUARANTEES

Wairarapa Age, 7 April 1934, Page 5

PEACE & GUARANTEES

AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION DRAWN. NEW INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM NEEDED. LIMITATION OF ARMAMENTS. RUGBY, April 5. Reviewing the outlook for disarmament, with particular reference to the meeting on Monday at Geneva of the Bureau of the Disarmament Conference, “The . Times” says: “The view is un- * doubtedly proving common that a distinction may and should be made between giving a guarantee for, the maintenance of the exact positions established by the peace treaties and giving a guarantee for the maintenance of a new international system based upon the armaments convention. > general guarantee of security (“The Times” adds) must be directed to the crossing of a frontier or to some other act of overt aggression. There must almost inevitably be a difficult discussion whether the action of the State charged with aggression was or was not justified, and there may or may not be a doubt whether in facl its action may properly be held to have constituted aggression. “In guaranteeing the armaments IBonvention these doubts are unlikely to arise. The observance of agreed limitations is to be checked by a direct international commission, and there will only be a ease for taking sanction if the commission has definitely reported that a particular State has exceeded. its‘permitted armaments. Furthermore, the presumption is that in one case hostilities will have already broken out Jjefore collective action has to be taken. But the infringement of an armaments convention would not be the same irreparable disaster. That alone is a convincing argument in favour of a guaranteed convention. 4 “Another hardly less important point in British eyes is that a convention would stand for a new and better system, whereas a general guarantee of security must inevitably be inseparable from the provisions of the peace treaties. ’ ’

. The Lord Privy iSeal, Mr. Anthony Eden, will represent the British G|ov- ' eminent at the meeting of the Bureau of the Disarmament Conference next »week, and is expected to' leave London /for Geneva on Sunday. As at.present . arranged, Mr. Eden will travel direct to Geneva without breaking his journey in Paris.—(British Official Wireless).