ARMAMENTS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 August 1932, Page 5

ARMAMENTS

‘ AN AUSTRALIAN PROPOSAL

(Australian Press Association.)

CANBERRA, August 23.

Mr Latham, Attorney General and Minister of External Affairs, made available two letters written to ' the (President of the Disarmament Convention, Geneva. . ■ The first is his own letter dated June 17, wherein, as leader of the Australian delegation, he expressed the view that Article Eight of the League Covenant contemplated that the permanent plans would be re-considered arid revised every ten years. As such revision could only be by arrangement by all parties, the result would be? 'that a State would propose a fig’ufe it was prepared to accept "as a .maximum for its forces, one which would provide for a’l future contin--1 g’encies.

Mr Latham suggested an alternative course be the adoption by the convention of a definite term of years, before the expiration .whereof, another conference should consider the figures of limitation for .a further term. (States would then be prepared to submit figures based oil their more immediate needs and resources and having some relation to reality and by degrees a state would be reached when Article Eight could- be applied in its fullest .sense. *

He therefore proposed the adoption ,of the .latter Course and that the agreement reached at the present confjardnee .should bind 'parties for t a fixed number of years. A second letter written by tlie leader of the ‘Polish delegation expresses complete ’approval of the principles and conclusions set out by Mr Latham. ,