ARMS PROBLEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 1 December 1932, Page 5

ARMS PROBLEMS

BRITISH POLICY LORDS SEEK ITS DEFINITION. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, November 30. In the House of Lords, Lord Cecil requested the Government to make a policy statement on disarmament and on the Sino-Japaneso dispute. He isaid lie agreed that equality of status for Germany was the only road to success. He said that Mr Churchill’s suggested territorial re-arrangements in Europe without disarmament would be disastrous to the British disarmament proposals. They were a long way short of Mr Baldwin’s speech and they seemed to invite the other nations to reply in the negative. Lord Reading said he hoped that the Government would press for a reduction in armaments expenditure as the most effective means of securing disarmament. This would help our relations with the United States > and other countries.

Lord Hailsham (Minister of jWar) replied that he was not in the position to make statements on general policy. Britain was using her. influence in the League of Nations towards a satisfactory settlement in Manchuria. The Government believed by informal -preliminary exchanges of views between the principal Powers. He hoped that the next few days would produce conditions leading to Germany’s rejoining the disarmament conference.