12 YEARS AFTER

Hokitika Guardian, 14 July 1930, Page 2

12 YEARS AFTER

WORLD STILL IN ARMS

REMARKABLE FIGURES

(By the National Defence League.)

In view of recent representation* made to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence by the Women’.-, fhristian Temperance Union, the “N More War Movement,” the League ol Nations Union, the Presbyterian Church and the New Zealand Laboiu Party in favour of the scrapping of compulsory military training in New Zealand a.s being “conivary to tli spirit of the League of Nations,” and curiously enough, urging the substitu tion of tbe voluntary system as providing a more efficient means of deiC'c it is instructive to examine the figures published in the latest League Nations “ Armaments Year Book” and ascertain hotv far, alter upwards rf ten years of ,strenuous effort in Mint direction, the League of NationUns succeeded iii attaining its goal, geiiefal rVsarmament, which is the of the world. The first fact that emerges is that, so far from compulsory military ser-

vice being contrary to the spirit of the League, it is the cardinal principle upon which the great bulk of the Powers composing the League base their military systems, and that, if thes° nations enforcing compulsory military service for their own securitv were to -Wi-draw from the League, the League itself would cease to exist.

ONLY EX-ENEMY POWERS

DISARMED

The second factor, as regards the progress of disarmament, is that very ittle has been achieved under this head, except in the disarmament of the Hite enemy Powers. That this is so, is demonstrated in the fact that, while there were 1,422,000 fewer soldiers in Europe in 1928 than in 1913, no less than 1,213,000 of these are represented in enforced reductions of the active armies of the ex-enemy Powers, while the active armies of the whole of the rest of Europe have only been cut down by the insignificant quota of 209,000 men.

The actual position is disclosed in the following tables .showing the strength .of the active armies of the late enemy Powers and of the rest of Europe in 1913 and ,1928; —

ACTIVE ARMIES, OF EX-ENEMY

POWERS

MORE SIGNIFICANT FACTS

The strength of the Regular Army of Great Britain has been reduced from 234,000 in 1914 to 200.000 in 1928, notwithstanding that since the Great War the military obligations of the British Empire- have been greatly incren.sed by the British Empire having to take over various mandates from • M>e League of Nations. AY hat these obligations mean were only too recently evidenced in the case of the Holy ' and to require emphasising. Other significant facts which help to throw light upon the above figures are as follows: — In “the cockpit of Europe, Belgium has increased the strength of her active army from 48,009 to 61.000, while the active army of the Netherlands has been raised from 23,000 to 372.000. .Gince 1928 Denmark has'scrapped her force of 11,000 men. preferring to rely on the rivalries of the Great Powers surrounding her for the maintenance ol her integrity. (3) France, uothwithstnnding the Treaty of Locarno, the League of Nations Covenant, and the Pence Pact, has made provision whereby site can practically double her peace strength on mobilisation by calling up trained reserves.

(4) Italy proposes a Volunteer Militia of some 280, in addition to her Regular Army. The \.M. are organised and trained in peace.

(5) Russia, besides the Regular Army, has numerous trained reserves as a result of conscription. There is also a society known as the “ Osoaviachim,” which exists to further the defence of th.e country. It has about 8,000,000 members. ('j)TT.S.A. besides the Regular Army of 133,0 oin 1928 increased from (105'HO in 1914), maintains a Natl >-a3nard (170,000) and other organised reserves, sueli as the Officers’ Jlcsv.-i\r-Corps (115,000).

DECLINE IN PEACE SPIRIT. While defending the Naval Treaty with the United States and Japan m the Hon.-e of Commons as late as 15th lay last Mr Ramsay McDonald, the T.aiiov.r Prime Minister, who can scarcely lie called a “militarist, ut»,ei■d tliese momentous words: — “ Since'the failure at Geneva in '. !: 27 great deterioration in the peace spirit, has taken place. I attribute no blame for that failure, but if Honmembers will look at the shipbuilding programmes and various ether militai \ programmes since 1.127 they will find that the failure at Geneva has been a great impetus to trusting once again to military preparations rather than the pusilit of f.ilcilie ends,” ” Another sittuvtlon which was only too aiipnreht was this: Since the last war we have created the League of Nations. We have signed arbitration treaties of varying scope. We have signed treaties of peace, peace pacts like the Kellogg Pact, but, curiously enough, when we come to close purposes, on the problem of armaments and the provision of arms, the mene.,l jf,- of the assumptions regarding bow wars are to be kept off and national security established, we found deplorably little trust placed upon these peace pacts and the organisa--1 Inns to secure peace. (Hear, lu-ar). The nations undoubtedly are falliim ’-vk into their old mentality. The old fears, the old superstitions regarding scouritv are returning, and exactly the same kind of arguments that were familiar before 1914 are coming hackunblushing and unashamed in 1930. 1 do not say these things in order to st 'ke a pessimistic note, quite the opposite, because the time is still with us when we can. stop it, and, by. making a. sturdy effort to change that mental; tv, to hold back this tide that is flowing to international destruction, we cam still save Eurone and the world from what is called the next war.” (Cheers.)

POSITION IN ASIA AND EGYPT. As showing the progress being made by the civilised nations of the world towards disarmament and peace these are facts that citftnot be overlooked, however iiiueh we may'desire to cloffe our eyes to tllent, aild are rendered the less encouraging when we reflect upon the position of modern Asia and Egypt which are charged, with vast explosive forces that may any day involve the British Empire in the most serious and ifar-reaching consequences.

Howveer unpleasant these facts may 1 1P , we must face them, and having already reduced the strength of our Territorial Force to the danger line, from 30.000 in 1914 to 16,800 at the present time and the period of training from seven years to three, we must ask ourselves whether now is the time to make further reductions, and whether, in view of our military obligation to '•bp British Empire and the League of Nations and the vanished supremacy of the British Navy, we had better not tread cautiously?

1913 1923 Germany .......... 791,000, £0,000 Austria-Hungary .424,000 Austria 20,000 Hungary 34,000 Turkey .. 230,000 120,000 Bulgaria .. 60,000 19,000 Totals ..1,505,030 292,000 ACTIVE ARMIES OF REST 0.' EUROPE. 1913 1928 • Albania . 24,000 8,000 Belgium ... 48,000 64,000 C/,e eli o-SH o v a k i a 117,000 Denmark 14;000 Estonia 17,000 Finland 28,000 France .. 790.000 672,000 G reece ... 25,000 . 67,000 Italy ... 305,000 366,000 Batavia 20,000 Lithuania 24,000 Montenegro ... 10,000 Netherlands 23,000 372,000 Norway ... 80,000 13,000 Poland 281,000 Portugal ... 30,000 28,000 Roumania .. 103 000 136,000 Russia ... 1.200,000 562,000 Serbia ... 361,000 Serb. Croat and Slovene State/... 116,000 Spain .. 122,000 168,000 Sweden .. 81,000 34,000 Switzerland .. 113,000 46,000 Totals 3,359,000 3,150,000