GREAT CRY FOR PEACE

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 201, 14 November 1927, Page 1

GREAT CRY FOR PEACE

Armistice Day Thoughts STARK REMINDER OF WAR Appeals by Leaders of Thought .•HERE must be no more war. With surprising swift--1 ness this determination has spread all over Britain and, on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the Armistice, new and unexpected support for disarmament is forthcoming from practically all the newspapers.

LONDON, Saturday. There must be no more war. With surprising swiftness this determination has spread all over Britain and on the occasion of the ninth anniversary of the Armistice new and unexpected support for disarmament is forthcoming from practically all the newspapers. The dangerous drift into talk of another war had been most apparent. Even last week people spoke almost glibly of it. Great journalists and statesmen were found dangerously discussing its form and type and responsible journals published elaborate details. Dean Inge wrote informatively and ruthlessly of the terrors of the next war. accepting it as an inevitable [act rather than condemning the war talk, which is most likely to lead to war.

To-day, with the memory of a million dead, and the stark recollection of workless and homeless heroes, their wives and dependants, comes an almost incredible clamour for peace and disarmament, excelling anything since the war.

The first note was truck in the scathing and authoritative denunciation of war by so great a soldier as Field-Marshal Sir William Robertson. On the eve of his 50 years' military career he denounced war in such terms as scarcely ever have been heard from the lips of a great soldier. He described it as a ghastly, useless destruction. Dangerous Drift Then a great thinker, Mr. H. G. Wells, penned a remarkable letter to the Liberal candidate for the Southend by-election. In this he said the Baldwin Government was heading straight for war. Though he was a Labour man he would vote for the Liberal candidate in order to make it a straight-out contest and give the liberal the victory. It was the business of every man to end Immediately the dangerous drift toward armament and aggression, wrote Mr. Wells. Sir John Simon next made a startling denunciation of Britain’s trend toward another war. In his Armistice Day speech this evening he said: “Although we condemned as unspeakable barbarity the bombing of towns 12 years ago, we are to-day deliberately preparing and practising to do the same thing. Our War Office is storing up mustard gas. Are we sure we are not contemplating infamously the submarining of merchantmens which we so vigorously cendemned so recently? “War must end,” concluded Sir John Simon. “Vague aspirations toward peace are useless. A new generation is growing up with the view that war is inevitable.” Outspoken Speech Viscount Grey in an outspoken speech, commented on the naval rivalry betwen Britain and America. He said: “The longer the idea of parity between the British and American Beets continues the more difficult the situation will grow. It will result In the two nations building against one another, even if they are not doing so now. It is extraordinary to recall that, when we framed our naval programmes before the war no account was taken of the United States Navy Vnat reason has arisen since the war r if 3 ? 6 us re K arrl a "war against the r -t p d States as a contingency?” Miss Ellen Wilkinson, M.P., said the people were filled with horror to l ?"?“ that the enormous sum of *.115,000,000 was spent every year on uritain s war services, and that the cc«» e ».. o! Europe was spending C 500.000.000 a year in preparing for ute next war. Mr. J. h. Thomas. M.P., speakn9 at Derby, said no one in politics or statesmanship was happy about ‘be aituation. There were 10,000,000 more armed en to-day than there were in 1011 ahrl? j a warlike spirit was oad. a vigorous demand for the . ,loa to drop all talk of war is to bs und in leading articles in all the newspapers.—A. and N.Z. OSTRACISE AGGRESSORS PROPOSAL IN AMERICA 8 “ — Press Association.—Copyright NEW YORK, Saturday, former Secretary of War, Mr. j, , n D- Baker, addresed the anconference of the World Alliance L-m- ternational Friendship at St. g. , on a Proposal that the United X h ,, s should ostracise all nations »mch engaged in war. b "? e Proposal was that this should done by a proclamation from the

President and the Senate that the United States will not insist on neutral trade rights with any nation held by the League of Nations to be the aggressor in the war, also by a resumption of the negotiations to bring the United States into the World Court. Another part of the plan was to conclude treaties with other nations, stipulating by reciprocal pledges not to make war. The conference recommended the encouragement of national unity in China and opposed the discriminatory immigration restrictions in the United States. —A. and N.Z. RUSSIA’S DESIRE POLICY OF DISARMAMENT By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright. -LONDON, Saturday. A message from Moscow says the President of the Soviet, M. Rykoff, referred in the course of a speech to the conference of the Preparatory Committee on Disarmament to be held at Geneva on December 30. He said the Russian delegates would propose a consistent policy of disarmament on the part of all the nations, even complete disarmament, provided that it was under the control of the great toiling masses. It is reported from Geneva that the Soviet has applied for passports for its representatives to attend the conference. —A. and N.Z.