DISARMAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 25 August 1932, Page 3

DISARMAMENT

GERMANY £6 R.E : Q?BN iSfifE.' I CAUSING ANXIETY IN PARIS, 1 LONIODN, August 24. | Rumours that the German Government intends shortly, to raise the disarmament issue again are said to be causing anxiety'in official circles' in Raiis. Apparently'it is quite in/order ‘that disarmament questions should be discussed, more or less academically, ,at Geneva, because disarmament is a proper subject, for; the League 1 , of Nations : but if the German .Government raises the question it “creates anxiety.”

This is one- of the little mysteries of current European politics. Germany of course, is quite entitled to demand the discussion of the subject, because relatively speaking it is the only unarmed country of consequence in the world and because when the Allies insisted' at Versailles on t -.the* disarmament of 'Germany they declared formally that this requirement, was preliminary to a general disarmament. The German "view has been, stated so often that' a mere ‘ repetition of t is not likely to. cause, anxiety, y' It was set out in a ddr ument prepared for the Disarmame't Corference. and it included the abolition. Of conscription, on o&hiv armament, the prohibition of tanks, suh- • marines'." 'frontier- 'fo.ts,' poison gas, bacterial warfare, heavy* anfillery n v d. .'traffic in arm aments, the liiriitrt'on of warships to 10,COO lons/ the prohibition ,of police forces-; chpa’le cf. being xised -for military ’b’ppios : fs. aneb .the des.trnction of all mil tary , air reserves rand stocks- , Germany, in fact,, wanted all nations to, be placed oh precisely the same foo-iun^-as herself. '

Of c6ufs'e^’i|^^^gF'’|he ; ; ‘p.t , the renewal‘ : "'oi':'th'ese. .denjahdsj that cause the issue being raised in a form likely to •.embarrass, the uatiors' - in,, other negotiations that are pending: There is . a feeling in feuropq/ that, the dmof the ivar debts'quest: on with the United States, f f mstahee; -migli’t be complicat d: by the linking: Of - debt reduction with armament reduction, and the real anxiety in Paris is that German disarmament propaganda ■■ may he unduly- active at. an inconvenient time. <•