FAILURE OF POWERS

Hokitika Guardian, 22 January 1931, Page 3

FAILURE OF POWERS

TO CARRY OUT DISARMAMENT. (United Press Association—By Electrio Telegraph.—Copyrigh i.)

LONDON, January 21. Rt. Hon. A. Henderson (British Foreign Secretary), in opening the public session of the League of Nations’ Council at Geneva, strongly urged that the League should lead the nations in a bold approach to the disarmament problem. -Disarmament by collective agreement, lie said, was the most important question of the present day in international politics, and was the acid test of every nation’s loyalty to the League. An effective scheme of armament reduction was essential to the future welfare of peoples. Doubtless they would be told that the present ! was not a good time for armament reduction; that there is anxiety and unj rest and fear and there is even talk or war. These things might be true, but be asked in how great a. measure this unrest was simply the result of the armaments that now existed, and how far it was the result of the uncertainty as to whether war could be prevented. If there was any real danger in the present situation, it was, in the immediate future—it was rather that, through the. failure to carry out a policy of disarmament, they might drift into the situation which existed before tbe late war. Some people said that the' nations were now falling into the old system of alliances for warlike ends. On behalf of the British Government, lie would say without 1 hesitation that he knew of no alliance, and could know of none, exebpt that, of the. league Covenant itself—a great, world alliance against war was pro- i pared and carried on. For the British | Government and people, lie assorted 1

Government and people, lie asserted that those only were their friends who would look with them to carry that cause to victory