OFFENSIVE WEAPONS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 115, 18 May 1933, Page 7

OFFENSIVE WEAPONS

COMPLETE ELIMINATION ONLY WAY TO SECURITY ROOSEVELT'S PLAN OF ACTION (British official wireless issued by the Imperial Affairs Branvh of the Prime Minister’s Department of New Zealand). RUGBY. May 16. The text of Mr Roosevelt’s message became available in London late this ■evening. Although the hour of its arrival precludes any official British com ment to-night, no doubt the spirit of the statement will meet with the warmest approval, and the proposals will be studied with a genuine desire to cooperate effectively in obtaining fulfilment of the President’s hope “that peace may be assured through practical measures of disarmament, and that all of us may carrv to victory our common struggle against economic chaos.’’ The President states: — “The Economic Conference must come to its conclusions quickly. The world cannot await its deliberations if long delayed. The Conference must establish order in place of the present chaos by the stabilisation of currencies, by freeing the flow of world trade, and by international action to raise pritte levels. It must, in short, supplement individual domestic programmes for economic recovery by wise and considered international action. As for the Disarmament Conference confused purposes still clash dangerously and duty lies in bringing practical results through concerted action. I believe an overwhelming majority of people feel obliged to retain excessive armaments because they fear some act of aggression against them, and not because they themselves seek to be aggressors. There is justification for this fear. Modern weapons of offence are vastly stronger than modern weapons of defence. “If all nations agree wholly to eliminate weapons which make possible a successful attack, defences automatically will become impreg' nable, and frontiers and the independence of every nation will become secure. The ultimate objective of the Disarmament Conference must be complete elimination of all offensive weapons. The immediate objective is a substantial reduction of some of these weapons and the elimination of many others. “The United States Government welcomes the measures now proposed and will exert its influence towards further successive steps towards disarmament. * ‘ There are three steps to be agreed upon in the present discussions: First, to take at once the first definite step as broadly outlined in Mr MacDonald’s plan; second, to agree upon the time of procedure for taking the following steps; third, to agree while the first and following steps are being taken, that no action shall increase existing armaments beyond the limitations of its Treaty obligations. But the peace of the world must be assured during the whole period of disarmament. I, therefore, propose a fourth step concurrent with the fulfilment of these three proposals, and subject to existing Treaty rights—that all the nations of the world enter a solemn and definite pact of nonaggression; that they solemnly reaffirm the obligations they have assumed to limit and reduce armaments; and, provided these obligations are faithfully executed, that they agree they will permit no armed force across their frontiers.” The President urges all nations to translate their professed policies into action.