WORLD DISARMAMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 98, 16 December 1931, Page 2

WORLD DISARMAMENT

MEETING IN LONDON ADDRESSES BY~EX-PREMIERS AN APPEAL TO THE NATION. Three men who liave been Premiers appeared for the first time together on a public platform in support of a' movement that uriites all parties — that of Disarmament. Here are the chief points made by the Premiers at the great meeting in Alber-t Hall, London, IVIr Ramsay IVIacbonald. Mr Ramsay MacDonald: "Let us have no deiusions about disarmament. Disarmament is essentially a national question. Alone a nation can pioneer, but alone -a nation bannot attain. There are still some people who say that disarmament is bad, some people who arrogate to themselves a greater sense or sensibility as nationalists than those common people lilce ourselves who are in favour of peace. Do those people lmow that this nation's honour is deeply pledged to disarmament? It is not the agitation of a coterie. This country has pledged itself again and again and again to put it before it in all its international relationships. Th.e sentiment of peace is universal; the practice of peace is circumscrihed. Sentiment and pifety are not enough now, and the world expects from Geneva not merely results showing that we are all in favour of peace. The world expects agreements which mean in figures, in tonnages, in man-power, in rnaterial, an actual reduction in those materials which mean that nation* are prepar'ing for war. We are going to Geneva determined by persuasion, by arguments, by appeals, to get the nations of tbe world to join in and reduce this enormous, disgraceful burden of armaments which we are nowbeatrin]g from'one end of the world to the other. The point of it all is this: Geneva must give results. The way is to be long, to be hard, to

be fiinty. We will not get at the first set-off all we want, but do not hang your heads and sit down by the wayside and die because Heaven has not been gained at the first hssault. The man and the woman who are valuable to-day to face these complicated problems are the man and the woman who can come up to the assault, he heaten back, and come hack again full of heart and spirit, knowing that though right is worsted, wrong will not triumph, but by the faith, the persistence, and the energy of the determined human heart that which we regard as precious, as true, as essential to the Divine purpose in creation, is bound by patience, by energy, and by faith to be carried to triumpbant issues in the course of world affairs." IWr Stanley Baldwin. Mr Stanley Baldwin: "We must press for the reduction of the air forces of the world and attempt to bring about some parity in the air forces of Western Europe, for I regard air forces as the spear-head of invasion and probably tbe most dangerous form of arms. Our air estimates are slightly lower than they were six .years ago, but in other ioreign countries — I name no names — they have gone up as much as 150 per cent. increase on six years ago. We have sunk to fifth place. Our air expenditure represents 2^ per cent. oi our Budget, and the corresponding flgure for France is roughly 5 per cent., and for the Uniterl States and Jlaly roughly 4 per cent. Our hope of disarmament in Europe is in the League of Nations. The League suffers through the ahsence of two nations, one in the East and one in the West, Russia and the United States; hui both of them will he represented at the Disarmament Conference. The negoiiations with Russia must necessarily be diflicult from the nature of the case itself, but until we can see in that country progressive disarmament you can never get rid of the fear that exisfs in Eastern Europe against so rreat and powerful a neighbour. While it is not for us to ask or to adIse or to try to cajole — the least suc'•essful of all — the United States to •:ct them to come into the League oi Nations, I do say without fear of oonfradiction from any statesman who has had to deal with international probtems that every international problem in Europe since the Treaty of Versaiiles has been made incomparably more difflcult to Europeans by ihe ahsence of America from thc League of Nations. Fundamentally it is a fighl l:or peace, a spiritual fight, and we liave to deal with the things of the world. This fight is not won in a moment; the fight will he won ultimately. What we have to see is that we keep moving, that we never look back and never go haclc and admit no check: .that we hand on the faith to those that come aftgr us. We shall win through, and it may he in years t'o come our posterity may recognise that we did with brave heart and with faith all that was possible for men to do in these most difflcult, critical, and troublous times." Mr Lloyd George. Mr Lloyd George: "All the signatories of the Treaty of Versaiiles undertoolc to reduce armaments to the lowest minimum compatible with security. But did they mean it? We abolished conscription. We recluced our land forces, and as one of the greatest maritime Powers in the world at the Washington and Loridon Gonferences we dicl our best to reduce naval armaments. Iliat has h.een a good beginning. But take the air and land forces of the world. Some of the Powers, as soon as they got home, forthwith started building- up new armies. They taxed themselves and borrowed from others to equip those armies, ancl almosk all the rest have been engaged ever since in increasing, perfecting, and strengthening their armaments. They have kept Germany to her promise, but they have hroken their own. After Locarno ihe Angel • of Peace had never been so toasted. Since then preparations for war had been going on in almost every country throughout the world. They all renounced war, but they forgot to renounce preparations for war. It is just like a man who takes the pledge and then proceeds immediately to fili his cellar witli the choicest wines and the most potent spirits which he can purchase in the marlcet. Military defects are studied, and steps are immediately taken to remedy them for the next war. The weapons of war arc studied. Stronger weapons, more powerful, more destructive, are being devised, invented, and manufactured. In the last war you hacl a horrihle carnage. The next is inconceivable, and yet the world is going on steadily, stolidly, stupidly, marching towards that catastrophe, singing songs of peace and preparing for war. You will never disarm, you will never effect real disarmament until you renounce war, not raerely on a scroll of paper,. but in the hearts of men. Let us take every step, let us make every effort to teach - and infhience the minds of men in that direction.