OBSTACLES TO PEACE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 244, 15 October 1932, Page 8

OBSTACLES TO PEACE

DISTRUST AMONG NATIONS DISARMAMENT NOT FACED AECHBISHIP AVERILL'S VIEWS. AUCKLAND, Oct. It. “Jealousy, suspicion and distrust aie still the world’s greatest enemies, and so long as they exist the stability of treaty engagements must be jeopardised.” said Archbishop Averill, in delivering his charge to the Anglican Diocesan Synod yesterday. There were still dark clouds upon the world’s horizon, and the darkest was the partial failure of the Disarmament Conference. There was still hopes that something would be done to reduce the extravagant expenditure on armaments which, in the face of the KelloggBriand pact and the undertaking given to Germany by the Allied nations in the Treaty of Versailles regarding general reduction of armaments, seemed to undermine the good faith of the nations whose representatives signed those treaties, and to give Germany cause for complaint. “We can be thankful for the work accomplished at the Lausanne Conference in respect of reparations,” said the archbishop, “but can we expect much alleviation, as far as the war debts arc concerned, so long as the nations refuse to come to grips with the all-important question of reduction in armaments? The position of America seems to me to be logical and reasonable, for how can she be expected to make a great sacrifice unless the nations of the earth are prepared to meet her half-way, by consenting to a real reduction in armaments and manifesting a real desire to fulfil international and treaty engagements? It is useless to endeavour to fix war guilt upon Germany for all time and perpetuate an open sore if the nations are hindering the consolidation of peace in the world by refusing to honour the signatures of their own representatives regarding the limitation of armaments. All honour to Britain for playing the game as far as Germany is concerned, but have all the signatory nations an unsullied record in this matter?

There was still a terrible obstacle to the consolidation of peace and goodwill and to a true internatioull spirit in the world, and world events should make people realise that conferences and pacts were of little pennament value in securing that spirit unless they were backed up by a right national and individual spirit. It was perfectly obvious that the world needed a deeper sense of honour and a more determined will to abide by treaty a greements-