DEBATE IN THE LORDS

Hokitika Guardian, 4 February 1931, Page 3

DEBATE IN THE LORDS

(Ollicial Wireless). RJiG.it i, January D'.i. A debate on toe subject ol international uisai iiiai.iciii uu» opciieu in uie House ol J .urcls oy Jmrd Ulokiiison. In lus speech ho made reference i/o the uisaiiiuuneiu. commence uiai has been convened by the Council ot -nu .League ot Nations to meet at Geneva in reoruary oi next ye.u. viscount Cecil of Ciielwooct said that wlujie international competition in armaments went on peace could not De regarded as secure. ' The question was whether disarmament was possible. He believed it was, am? mat there was a really good cmince ol Us being brought about. Viscount Rridgeman said that Britain alone of European countries had made ail enormous reduction m naval sirengi.li, which could oniy be justified if it were met by corresponding reductions by oilier poweis. i.bey inHisi, all hope for the success of the coining eonioreiKe. lie hoped that the uuveninient would be able to give .sums, conuorting assurance that other Powers did propose to reduce, but .too figures of their expenditure scemeo rather to indicate that they were increasing their armaments. Lord Parmoor reply said that 'bo endorsed Viscount Cecil’s statement. The risk of the nations falling again into conditions of progressive rivalry m armaments, which bad caused the Great War, must by all means be avoided.. That meant that the Disarmament Conference must fill in the actual figures of the skeleton scheme of the League’s Preparatory Commission. Without being an alarmist he coin'd not .help feeling that delay meant risk, and might bring great difficulties. He paid a tribute to the work of Viscount Cecil over many years in the cause ot international disarmament.