DISARMAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 21 October 1932, Page 5

DISARMAMENT

PUBLIC FEELING DEPUTATIONS TO THE PREMIER. (B ritish Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 19. To-morrow two influential deputations on disarmament are being, met Oy the Premier, Mr McDonald. One will be headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury anj will include leaders of Nonconformist churches. It will be received by Mr McDonald and Sir John Simon in the “Locarno Room at the Foreign Office. Later, a second deputation of well-known people, representative of non-party life of the nation, will also put their view before the Premier. The desire of the deputatoin.s is to demonstrate that the Government will have the full force of public opinion behind them in all measures designed to overcome the present international deadlock and to achieve a drastic measure of disarmament. “The Times” in advocacy of this object, urges that the interval before the resumption of the disarmament discussions should be used by the Great Powers to clear their minds as to how this can be achieved. “Germany’s claim to equality of arms status,” il says, “is. to all intents, conceded already. Of the two conceivable alternatives before them, namely either their own progressive disarmament to a reasonable level, or the progressive re-ar-mament of Germany to the point of renewed competition with her neighbours, they have most definitely pledged themselves to the former. Their choice has been dictated, not only by the profound revulsion of the world from any prospect of another war, and not only by the moral obligations of the Peace Treaty, but by plain common sense and economic necessity.”

FRANCE AND GERMANY. PARIS October 20. M. Herriott, Premier of France, at a newspaper banquet, referred to what be termed “menacing claims.” He said that France is being attacked in some quarters and is being misunderstood elsewhere. He hoped that Germany would explain exactly what she meant by equality of rights, and also wliat purpose was going to be served bv certain groups of her organised militarv line s outside of the Treaty stiplat.ions.

Ho concluded: “Perhaps the moment may come when France’s recourse will be to certain tribunals.”