ALL POWERS PACT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 6 January 1928, Page 5

ALL POWERS PACT.

AMERICAN PROPOSAL. FRENCH OBJECTION. ?ress Association Electric Telegraph-Copyright PARIS, Thursday. It is stated that M. Briand, French Foreign Minister,has cabled the French Ambassador in Washington that the All Powers Pact is contrary to the spirit of the Covenant of the League of Nations and would prevent the League of Nations from coping with international disputes. FRANCE’S DESIRE. LONDON, Thursday. The “Daily Mail” interprets M. Briand’s reply as tantamount to a rejection of Mr Kellogg’s proposal, which, if accepted, would establish a new association of -nations, under the aegis of Washington and possibly in opposition to the League of Nations. M. Briand now proposes- that France and America sign a , bilateral agreement similar to the separate agreements signable between the United States and otlfir Powers, thereby reserving the League’s independence and power to deal with international disputes arising outside the United States. (The proposal by the American Secretary of States (Mr F. If. Kellogg) towhich M. Briand has replied, was that instead of the two Governments (those of France and the United States) contenting themselves with a bilateral declaration they might make a more signal contribution to world peace by joining in an effort to obtain the ad-herence-of all the principal Powers of the world to a declaration renouncing war as an instrument of national pol-' icy. “Such a declaration,” Mr Kellogg added, “might conceivably lead other nations of the world to subscribe in turn to the same instrument. If the Government of Franco is willing to join the United States and the other principal Powers in an appropriate multilatcrial treaty, I should be happy to engage immediately in a conversation looking to the preparation of a draft treaty, following the lines suggested by M. Briand, for submission by France and the United States jointly to the other nations of the world, and to observe the result.” M. Briand replied that, if the treaty outlawing war was intended to be open to other nations, “ it will require most careful study in order not to prejudice the rights and "duties of nations interested in the League Covenant and existing treaties.”) A GLORIOUS OPPORTUNITY. LONDON, Thursday. Mr Kellogg’s invitation to the Powers puzzles the Press, especially in view of'dhe League Assembly’s resolution of September, beginning “Firstly all.war is prohibited.” The “Daily Telegraph’s” diplomatic correspondent says that France naturally has been gratified to obtain American assurance that whatever conflict might occur between France and Germany, France would in no circumstances find America against her, but if America should give a similar assurance to Germany, one assurance would merely cancel out the other, so that in the event of a Franco-German conflict the belligerents would be able to rely merely on American neutrality. The “Morning Post’s” Paris correspondent says M. Briand hoped fW a strictly private personal treaty between Jhe two great republics, a treaty' which would be little more than a renewal of the already existing .arbitration treaties. The “Post” editorially asks: “Did not the League recently pass a resolution much more sweeping than Mr Kellogg’s Note?” The “Daily Telegraph” says a multilateral treaty such as Mr Kellogg contemplates is clearly inconsistent with the League’s machinery, and must be particularly unacceptable to the French Government, which has. taken the lead in urging the case for the protocol. The “Daily /Express” declines to associate itself with those critics who see only a pious gesture, intended to soothe that section of the-’ American public which is agitated over the larger navy programme. “America has been the hope and despair of warwearied humanity. Maybe she is rising at last to the glorious opportunity which history has assigned her.” WASHINGTON OPINION. NEW YORK, Thursday. While the expression of the willingness of the . American Government to enter a treaty not only with France but with the entire world has taken the wind out of the Frey eh sails, Washington opinion in some quarters is inclined to the belief that certain elements in France arc now seeking to repudiate “the paternity of a child of peace which was laid by M. Briand on the American doorstep.” Officials reiterate that the value of the French proposal lies in its applicableness to all the Powers, and that this would give a greater assurance of the preservation of world peace. While it is admitted that the proposal contains no provision for compelling obedience, it nevertheless is contended here that the moral obligation would be so great that any nation violating its pledge would bring upon itself the condemnation of the world.

CANADA AS INTERPRETER. OTTAWA, Thursday. Mr Kerr, former secretary to Mr Lloyd George, addressing the Canadian Club, said Canada was best qualified to act as interpreter between Britain and the United States. It was Can-

ada that made the' Washington disarmament treaty possible. Canada had signed the treaty and the Covenant to the League of Nations, and had expressed approval of the Locarno Pact, therefore she had assumed responsibility in protecting world peace. Mr Kerr expressed the opinion that if Britain and the United States had appointed delegates of similar'calibre to those at the Washington conference, the Geneva disarmament conference might have had different results.