The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1932. BRITAIN’S POLICY.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 November 1932, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1932. BRITAIN’S POLICY.

IHe British attitude in reference to disarmament was plainly expressed in a important statement made by Sir John Simon in the recent debate in the House of Commons, The British proposal to grant equality to Germany in 'armaments will be fairly generally approved. Public opinion as reflected in tlm view of correspondents and editorial comment in the press has taken generally the view that although the German demand was in the prevailing circumstances ill-timed and tactless, it at least had the merit of justification. Sir John Simon’s proposition is that Germany should be admitted 1 to equality forthwith, and that at the same time the European Countries should join in “a solemn affirmation that they would not in any circumstances qttempt to resolve ■any present or future differences between them by resort to force.” vSucli affirmation, of course, would no more than reiterate the pious hope enunciated in the League of Nations Covenant, the Kellogg Pact, and various other diplomatic documents embodying the principle of peaceful arbitration. Th© whole proposition, in fact, is >a face-saving prescription for the Disarmament- Conference. By\ adopting it the nations represented would redeem the situation wt Geneva from ■its present appearance of futility and failure. At the same time, its constructive. value cannot be denied. Acceptance of it would place the Disarmament Conference in the more:favourable position which existed before the Berman demand for equality was. made, and at the same time create-an atmosphere- more favourable to bar--, mouions discussions by the League Council of the Lytton Report on the Far Eastern question. Until the German demand for equality .and the Japanese demand for treaty rights in Manchuria are' determined, further progress with disarmament will be out of the question. Tlr© prospects, howev'er, have been brightened considerably by Mr Herriot’s manifest desire to cooperate in the search for a means of ending the present dangerous drift away from peace. It is evident that lie- at last has seen, -as many sta-tes-mlen perceived long ago, that to keep Germany in a state of subjection is a- more serious menace to the peace of Europe than to have her in a circle of international friendship and codperation on equal terms. Within that circle, Germany can participate in a general scaling-down of armaments in step with the others. Outside it- there will be no scaling-dlown by Germany or any other nation, and Mr Baldwin’s remark, “I do not think We have seen the last great war,” might unhappily be prematurely justified. That was an arresting utterance for a responsible British statesman to make, and it is not surprsing to note that it created a profound impression in the House. The incident shows how far opinion has receded from the point at which, after the close of the Great War, people weUe agreed that a future conflict of the kind would be impossible. We nowpseem to have reached the stage of admitting that it is not impossible, and that it is now simply a question of postponing it by various devices to the farthest possible date.