THE SPIRIT OF LOCARNO.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 19, 6 February 1937, Page 4

THE SPIRIT OF LOCARNO.

A day or two back we liad a brief cabled report of what the British Foreign Seeretary had to tell the House of Commons as to the present position regarding his Government's efforts to have the Locarno agreements revived. These agreements, generaHy referred to collectively as the Locarno Pact, were solemnjy signed at London on 1st December, 1925, hy representatives of Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium and Germany, and, as to some of them, of Poland and Czechoslovakia also. Although all were of outstanding importance as promising the preservation of peace in Europe, the feature that has, attained most prominence and to whieh reference is most frequentiy made is the special treaty of mutual guarantee entered into by the five Powers first above named. Under it Germany, France and Belgium undertook to respect the inviolability of their frontiers as then established, not to make war upon one another except in self-defence, and to submit to arbitration aiiy differences that might arise among them. In particular it was provided that the demilitarised zone established by the Versailles Treaty on Germany 's Rhine frontier should be preserved inviolate. This was followed by a mutual guarantee of assistance against any unprovoked aggressive action on the part of any of the signatory nations against any other or others of them. At the same time, although not made a specific condition, there was a tacit understanding that Germany would join the League of Nations and subscribe to its Covenant. This understanding was duly carried out and the Locarno agreements t.hus made complete and brought thoroughly within the ambit of the League. These agreements were everywhere hailed as marking the beginning of a new era of assured peace in Europe, as at that time the relations of Germany arid Russia were of the most friendly character. The first movement away from them, though of course nowise a technical breach, was Germany 's withdrawal from the League, whieh was effected by her giving the necessary two years' notice in 1933. This, of course, to some extent shook confidence, but the pacts themselves still held and it was hoped might still be effective. Then we had the longdrawn Geneva discussions, under Great Britain 's lead, npon the limitation of armaments that stretched over years without practical result. This, it has to be admitted, was mainly because France refused to allow Germany even the moderate measure of defensive rearmament Britain was prepared to concede. The first real trouble began with the rise of Herr Hitler to power and, with him, a practical casting to the winds of the Tieaty of Versailles and all its restrictive obligations. In the first place, he sct to work to reconstruct Germany 's milifcary organisation upon a scale easily comparable with that whieh held under the Kaiser and it was found that there was really no one ready to sa.y him nay. So he went on from strength to strength, scrapping the Versailles Treaty in various other respects as occasion offered. It was not, however, until March of iasl year that he showed like disregard for the Locarno Pacts- into whieh, unlike the Peace Treaty, Germany had eute? cd quite voluntarily and under no shadow of defeat. It was then that the Fuhrer, in assertion of Germany 's complete sovertvgnty over it, triuniphantly marched his troops into the demilitarised Rhine zone. The only pretext he could find for this was the fact of France having entered into a treaty of mutual support with Soviet Russia, whieh had now become "anathema to Fascist Germany. Since then, according to recent reports, he has fortified the Rhine boundary with France in such a way as to constitute it a continual threat. It is under conditions thus briefly outlined that attempts have been made to revive the spirit of Locarno, Great Britain again offering a lead to -whieh as yet neither Germany nor Italy, now acting in close accord, has made any response. There is a perhaps special significance in the British Foreign Minister's few supplementary words that "it is just as much in their interests as in ours that they should answer," indicating that Great Britain does not mean further to continue the role of a mere suppliant for peace.