BRITAIN'S PROPOSAL

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 120, 17 November 1932, Page 11

BRITAIN'S PROPOSAL

BURDEN OF WAR DEBTS

LORD BLEDISLOE"S COMMENT

In the public at Levin ancl the State school ground at Otaki there are memorials to those who died in thai Great "War. In an address.at Otaki yesterday, when replying to a public; welcome, His Excellency the GovernorGeneral, Lord Bledisloe, said thosei memorials were a reminder of tha[ patriotism, loyalty, and. self-sacri-fice of the men who went to fighti for the freedom -of mankind ancl for the continued- existence of the British Empire." All honour to themi "■ he said. "I refer to that particularly, because that was supposed to be si war to finish war—to banish war'from, the earth, and create a permanent peace. Those anticipations unfortunately have not been realised. But: it is worthy of note that during the! last few days a great statesmanlike: move has been made by the Government of the Old Land with, a view to arrive at some measure of agreement upon this thorny subject of disarmament. The nations^.have been invited, to put a stop to unnecessary war—to reduce in an equivalent degree those expensive and destructive armaments and munitions of war which by their; very existence tend to encourage war,' and which place an appalling financial burden .upon the people and industries of the world.

"But there is another' factor which' is worthy of consideration in connec-. tion with the question of disarmament which is being discussed between the nations at Geneva. We are all hoping that it may be possible to wipe out forever these international financial liabilities which are such a cruel burden upon the industries of the British Empire, both in the Old Country and in the Dominions overseas. But the 'Ernitecl States has repeatedly said 'until it is made clear that the European nations are not going to spend unnecessarily on! military and naval armaments, we are not prepared to do anything to Telievei your financial responsibilities.* I will not venture to suggest whether that is a reasonable suggestion or not; *buti at least we can say that what the British Government has clone during the; last ten days removes from the United] States any pretext for reluctance, on! the ground I have indicated, being raised to, the wiping out or cancellation o£ war debts. "