LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 September 1926, Page 3

LEAGUE OF NATIONS.

[Australia & N.Z. Cable Association.] CUT IN/ ARMAMENTS. GENEVA, September 23. A modification of France’s persistent (plea that the Disarmament Conference should investigate the admittedly-un-fortunatc phrase “ Potential war strength,” is foreshadowed to-day. Britain contends that the phrase embraces not only raw materials and fac- • tories, but the whole population. mmoving the adoption of tile Third Committee’s report urging that the Preparatory Commission speed up its work with a view to the disarmament conference being held before the next Assembly, M. Paul Boncour (France), said that they should, confine the first stage to dealing with what was visible and capable of supervision. There , would be something achieved if, upon ♦ the offers of reduction made by countries consistent with their security, and in the light of the Locarno conference’s favourable atmosphere, they were able for the present to stabilise armaments, pending conferences which would inevitably follow. Well-informed critics interpret the French desire for an early conference as a recognition of the economic fact that they cannot maintain their large army indefinitely with any prospects of successfully reorganising their finances or meeting their war debts. This ff': is stated to he one of the unofficial hints dropped by Mr Mellon (U.S.A. Treasurer) when he was recently in Paris. The Briand-Stresemann proposals also indicate the way in which the financial breezes are blowing.