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Hokitika Guardian, 12 September 1921, Page 2

Tiikiie is a very promising aspect ol the proposed disarmament « oiiferen.-e to take place ill America in a couple of month.--’ time. It is a sign of the times to see. the invitation sent out by President Harding for a conference s> leailily at-eepied. The tatuousii"ss ot the time-honoured tag which says that if we want peace we must he prepared far war has been demonstrated time alter time throughout the ages. If a liny has a boat he will want to sail it ; the Kaiser, remarks an exchange, had an army and he wanted to use it, so we had the great European War that was going to end all wars. The most obvious thing in the world is that we .cannot have wars unless "e have arms. Tut. on the other hand, a war ;s always a potential thing if the nations lire armed. The world has been turned upside down since “the old uplian >y, far-olf days’’ when the armaments rare was in full swing, and the appearance of Kaiser William's yacht in any foreign port set the Chancelleries of the world agog. Now Kaiser William lives in suburban respectability just outside aj little Dutch tow n ; hisj yacht and Ins navv have gone where no one knows, and the Powers whose composure he used to disturb meet to talk about, limiting their appropriations for offence and odlonce. A must exc Bout move to make. We can hardly expert accord to he reached at the first sitting; hut it, will certainly help to clear the air. One need not labour the point that there are tremendous diflirulties in the way of an international agreement even to limit armaments;; but unless the nations get together and discuss the problem from all standpoints there is no hope of nil agreement of any sort, and the old game of “beggar my neighbour” would he played through all eternity. There must he a. starting point, and so begins the negotiations on November lltll, a very appropriate date indeed tile anilit'er.-

snrv of Armistice I):iy. It is to lie regretted, of course, that the railed States did not join in the League of Nations movement, the inception of which ex-President Wilson helped to shape, lint something, it is to bo hoped, will result out of the new move, for the Powers most concerned in the handline of present day international issues are to he represented, and some basis leading np to a curtailment of a egress! vo defence preparations. should he possible of attainment.