ARGUMENT FOR PEACE

Hokitika Guardian, 22 July 1931, Page 3

ARGUMENT FOR PEACE

TERRORS OF NEXT WAR, BALANCE OF POWER NEEDED. LON'DO.S,. Ju];,’ 5. I A terrible picture of conditions ■which must prevail if war ever , breaks out again between t ,the, -(.nations,' was drawn by Mr Arthur Ilpndej-son, M.P.. Foreign Secretary, iw.he-n; he-, mode an appeal for disarmament at the Old Hall, 'Lincoln’s. Inn, Jast. .night, -, during - the delivery of- the Burge. .Memorial-- Lt c r tore on “Consolidating" Wor.ld Peace.'’ The peoples want'd disarmament,. -and wanted if now ; hi declared- remphaLcr 'ally. . . ./■ ■ y ■ Modern warfare could no ’ longer be localised, and, terrible as were th y'figures of tin l 'last-' 1 war, what -af chapter of 1 -horrors could■ be written df-'tlre- conditions itbat must--prevail-' if Wtip fn T -Volving’ ’.'whole ' nations should •• again break out'/ ?l| C • "" - “Armies i an d ' -navies j”' he ’ sai d powerless- to jprotecf ■'civiliah'-'popnlaf tions from 'hew 14 forms dt attack ffoni the air, which will make previous'"attacks from the air to pale into insig’nifieaheo in l '"comparison- with 'thP insane triumph of death—in its ' most hideous and-'agonising : l‘ormS-—which ' sctetic'e h'as made is possible to inflict upon' noncombatants.’’ There was no comprehensive -and continuous ell'ort at any epoch before" -the war of 1914 to deal with this great problem of world peace objectively and constructively. -It had become necessary, therefore, in all efforts to consolidate world peace, to emphasise the theiught that it meant more than averting the outbreak of hostilities, however important that might be.- 1

If a stable structure of'' European peace was to be created, he went on, two things 'Were''plainly required. First, a real balance, of power must be . ret ‘stored, which"would "genuinely ensure that' the 'cominon. interest should prevaii: against the unmeasured'' aggrandise': tileiit of‘any aggressive Power.‘, ‘ ' ! "'Second, a pe'rrhaiieht; machinery 'must be created, whichi would render effeciitive a ' real concert of’.'the Powers; foundedon' ft ‘ cdkscious and (determined 'attempt to 'build :: upi'constructive ' cooperation to profnote" all those interests which were common to mankind. The Covenant of the League of Nations had secured a concert of the Powers more complete and perfect •than Lord Salisbury could have hoped for in. any future which he could foresee, but that while progress had been made towards disarmaments, it was progress which might crumble unless it could be consolidated by carrying through disarmament to a successful issue.