LAUSANNE MEETING

Hokitika Guardian, 16 June 1932, Page 5

LAUSANNE MEETING

OVER WAR DEBTS ARMAMENT CUTS URGED. (British Official 1 Tireless.) . . RUGBY, June 14. M. Herriot called on Mr AfacDonald this morning and they resumed the study of documents relative to the Lausanne Conference. The statesmen in Geneva spent today mainly in informal conversations. Air MacDonald and Sir J. Simon were the luncheon guests of Air Hugh Gibson, tho chief United States delegate at the Disarmament Conference, nn { j in the afternoon conferred with Signor Grandi.

At a private meeting of the Disarmament Conference Procedure Committee, a resolution was adopted to the effect which is to suspend the main work of the conference until the conclusion of the discussions now taking place between representatives of tlic big Powers. Air A, Henderson stated yesterday that the moment had collie when great decisions must- aiid Would be made. "Tlie Times 1 ’ points out: It efifindt be too '-emphatically stated that these decisions uih only he taken by responsible representatives of leading nations, Experts must do their part. They have tlx© principal data; The. question they have' to answer is really very simple. Are other Governments of the world prepared to apply to their own cases, in whole, pr in part, the limitations in armaments imposed on the vanouished countries after the war? Are they ready to abolish, curtail, or internationalise their own use of weapons which were declared to be of an especially offensive character in 1919, namely, the largest warships, largest guns, tanks, submarines, aeroplanes. Jn these days of national impoverishments, most countries would probably warmly welcome the opportunity to reduce their budgets by any commonly agreed proportional plan. The Archbishop of York and several of bis episcopal colleagues in a letter to the-Press, expresses disappointment that up to the present no progress has been made by the Geneva Conference towards serious disarmament, and expresses the fear that unless a definite effective policy, is adopted by the Powers, at the conference, within the next few days, a breakdown may be difficult to avoid. The signatories of the letter press for a substantial reduction in those armaments which by treaty are prohibited to Germany.