DISARMAMENT

Hokitika Guardian, 22 February 1933, Page 5

DISARMAMENT

MENACE FROM AIR

PRACTICAL SOLUTION SOUGHT.

(British Officij-l Wireless.)

[RUGBY, February 20. The task of devising a practical scheme which, in the words of Lord . Londonderry, “will give to all nations real protection against th e horrors to \ which the imagination can put no limit, while preserving for their use, the convenience and benpficiont development of peaceful flying,” was begun at Geneva by the Air Committee of the Disarmament .Conference. The Committee met to examine the possibility of the entire abolition of 'military and naval aircraft, bombing from the air, combined with effective control of civil aviation. Deferring to th P menace which misuse °f aircraft would constitute to the civil population, Lord Londonderry said: “Their development in the hoist twenty years has laid open to attack , eitiles and centres of population 1 lying far behind th e frontiers. Each year sees an increase in the speed, range and carrying capacity of the machines, so already aircraft exist which could "launch an air attack from one end of Europe to the other. Even oceans are no longer a barrier, and as aircraft, whethe r civil or military »v.o increasing annihilating time and distance, the whole world is becoming as one continent." He was authorised to repeat on behalf of his Government, the declaration made i,n November by Sir J. Simon that the United Kingdom Government- was prepared to subscribe universal acceptance of the abolition of naval and military aircraft and air bombing, except for police purposes, provided only there can be devised an effectiv e scheme for international control of civil aviation, which would prevent all possibility of the misuse of civil aircraft for military purposes. Tt is manifest, he said, that prohibition of military aircraft, and an agreement not to make use of so powerful a weapon could not give an y real of security, so long as there was no effective guarantee that civil aircraft could not be so misused. The problem before th e committee therefore is to devise such effective regu-lati-dn of civil aviation a? would make feasible the abolit'on of naval and military aicrafiT ar.cf prohibition of air bombardment. Any such Scheme most satisfy, at least two conditions. It must prevent all nossibilitv of the reisonrces of civil aviation being Vised for military purpose,? in the evflnt of an outbreak of, hostilities, and it must not prevent or hamper th-g fullest develonmer.t of aviation in every country for j civil and commercial purposes, nor re. strict freedom in the realm of experiment and reiseardh. Regarding the first, Lord Londonderry pointed out that th P July resolution contemplated that some region .should he" excluded, but means were obviously renin red to prevent flip civil machines existing in' those areas being available, for military purposes. Regarding the second condition, it was inconceivable that a convention designed to promote securitv and goodwill among nations should be so framed as to chock free development of what was perhaps the most -mportant agent of th P present day for encouraging peaceful communications and developing commercial and friendly jnterconrse between nations. After cataloguing some of the difficulties of th e problem, which the committee must faoe, Lord Londonderry reminded the members that was only in its infanev, and they were considering a convention to safeguard th e future as much as the present.

BRITISH INDUSTRIES PROTEST.

LONDON, February 20

The Federation of British Industries have written to Mr Tt. MacDonald protesting a gainst the internationalising of civil aviation as endangering th. e devolpmen t of Empire air routes, hindering aeroplane construction, and the internal combustion industry. The Federation aeks the Government to undertake no binding agreement without consulting British industry.