BRITAIN’S EFFORT

Hokitika Guardian, 19 December 1933, Page 5

BRITAIN’S EFFORT

IN DISARMAMENT

GEHMANY‘S RETURN DESIRED

(Per British Official Wireless.)

iRUGBY, December 18.

M. A vend (Secretary-General of the League of Nations)/', 'before, leaving for Paris, after a: week’s visit to London, was the guest of,. Sir Austen ■Chamberlain at luncheon. He had conversations during his sojourn wi-h leading British Ministers , and public men, with whom he discussed League affairs. It is understood the Britisn Ministers were willing and anxious to examine any definite proposals, for an improvement of the League machinery which Signor Mussolini may advance. “The Times” says that- it/had been accordingly . agreed that a series oi question should be drafted and submitted to Signor Mussolini as soon a s possible. It, however, is felt that the immediate ' need is ' that every effort should continue to bring Germany brick to the'Conference" table. •>. The Disarmament Conference will continue- to engage the closest- attention of British Ministers during the He*t few days. The British Government’s continued efforts to end the-deadlock rwei'e referred to in ia speech by Sir J; Simon at Chester, He said that;-the withdrawal of Germany from Geneva had added greatly. both to the complications .and anxieties of the foreign situation. Last month the executive committee of the Disarmament Conference resolved that the work of the Conference would at this S;age best be assisted by -parallel and supplementary efforts between the various States, with fulL use of diplomatic machinery. The British Foreign, Office had been at work ever s ince in accordance with the terms of that decision. The object was not to make an isolated pronouncement or produce a noble gesture! The object was to get if possible an agreement ■- between a great number of States. No Government could by its own single declaration produce a solution of the disarmament problem. ; ; Britain bad gone a long way 5 in reducing armaments and h e often wondered if -Her own isolated action 'really made disarmament easier to-day. Again n,o machinery, could 1 by 1 itself • alter the' fundamental difficulties of th e situation. The gravest and most stubborn of those difficulties, at any rate, so far as Europe was concerned, consisted in' t'the ' divergent' - points of view of France .and' Germany. The Trench demand was for security and the German , demand for equality* The reconciliation of those two points of view had been, the greatest difficulty since the Conference began

ANGLO-ITALIAN CO-OPERATION.

ROME, December 18.

The paper “Stampa’’ says: "The only silver lining to Europe’s dark clouds is the fact of Britain and Italy (working together to weather the storm/* It hopes that Signor Mussolini and Sir J. Simon at their forthcoming meeting will discover means of .alleviating' the international situation. It says that 'the collaboration of Germany, whether inside or outside of the League, is indispensable. - The realisation of that 'fact means reaching the halfway house to peace. ,