THE GREAT POWERS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 30 November 1927, Page 5

THE GREAT POWERS

ALL REPRESENTED AT GENEVA PREPARATORY DISARMAMENT COMMISSION, RESOLUTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION, [British Official Wireless.l (Received 30. 11.30 a.m.i Rugby, Noy. 29. Most of the delegates representing the 26 countries participating m the Preparatory Commission for disarmament conference, which resumes its work to-morrow, have now arrived at Geneva. For the first time in the history of the Preparatory Commission all the great Powers including two noil-members of the League—the United States and the Soviet Union—will take part m its work, the Soviet representatives sitting in the Commission tor the first time. Among the resolutions of the Assembly and Council relating to disarmament winch will come before the Commission is one providing for vhe establishment of a security committee which will consist of representatives of all states and members of the League sitting on the Preparatory Disarmament Commission. Other states which are not members of the League but which are represented on the Commission are being invited to take part in the work of the security committee if they so desire. This committee will deal with the political problems of disarmament, while thq Preparatory Commission confies itself to the more technical aspects. The Assembly also decided that the first conference for reduction and limitation of armament should he convened as soon as this preparatory technical work has been completed.

REDUCTION OF FORCES ’ WHAT BRITAIN HAS DONE. POLICY DEVOTED TO MAINTENANCE OF PEACE. (Received 30, 11.30 a.m.) [British Official Wireless.) Rugfiy, Nov. 29 Reference to the extent to which Great Britain had, independently of any international agreement, reduced her forces in recent years, was made m a public speech by the Hon. Sir W. Joynson-Hicks last night. He pointed out that Britain was the only country in the world which bad abolished conscription immediately the war ended. In 1914. said the Minister, the British Navy had 44 battleships, to-day we had 12. We had 183 destroyers in 1914 and now we had 89. In 1914 we had 80 cruisers, to-day we had got 37. In that, wav he had given testimony of our desire and our intention of disarming. When the war began we had a total of ships of war of various kinds amounting tp 2,500.000 tons of shipping ; at the end of the war we had 3,500,000 tons, but td-dav we had under 1,500,000. The officers and men of the navy then were 14.5,000 and to-day they numbered 100,000. ARBITRATION TREATIES. The Minister emphasised that in practice Britain had been in the forefront of the nations who settled dis. putes by arbitration and to-day Britain had 20 arbitration treaties with different countries The British Government, he declared, was doing its utmost to reduce armaments and its policy was entirely devoted to the maintenance of peace. In view of the reductions already made and the responsibilities which rested on the British forces in all parts of the world, it was actually exceedingly difficult in the existing circumstances to make further cuts.