When Delegates Gasped

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 287, 24 February 1928, Page 9

When Delegates Gasped

SOVIET’S DRASTIC PEACE PROPOSALS

Scrap Everything Pertaining to War '

D USSIA’S disarmament scheme presented to the Committee •!» on Arbitration and Security proposes the drastic scrapping of all armaments, Acts of Parliament, military documents, histories, films and everything pertaining to war. It was amusing to see the delegates airily pick up the draft of the Soviet scheme, read it, and then gasp.

By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright. GENEVA, Wednesday. The sittings of the Committee on Arbitration and Security are proceeding smoothly, and the British point of view is winning over practically all the representatives of the nations who are attending the conference. The chief interest is at present centred upon the published text of Russia's disarmament scheme, which is much more detailed than that of last year. The Soviet proposes that the Powers should sign a convention providing for complete world disarmament in four stages. The first year would certainly be a hectic one, for the proposal is that in that period half of all the effective land, sea and air forces should be disbanded. The re mainder would disappear in the three following years in equal parts. The scheme also proposes that War Ministries and military commands should be abolished, all military documents burned, Acts of Parliament relating to military and kindred matters repealed and material scrapped. The thoroughness with which all eventualities have been forseen by the Soviet is shown by article 10. This stipulates that no more military history should be written, that pictures, photographs and films dealing with past war must be consigned to oblivion, and that no one should write about war, even theoretically. “SEA MANDATES” When all this is done, the Soviet proposes that a maritime police service should be established for the protection of fisheries and cables, and the suppression of piracy and the slave trade. For this purpose the waters of the globe should, it suggests, be divided into 16 zones, of which the Pacific and Atlantic would count as four each, the Indian and Arctic Oceans as two each, the Mediterranean

the Baltic, the North Sea and the Black Sea as one each. In the zones the Soviet proposes that what may be termed ‘‘sea mandates” should be created, regional groups of States to be responsible for the zones allotted to them, which should be patrolled by maritime police not exceeding 3,000 tons. These ships should be armed with no more than two guns each, and should be manned by volunteer crews armed with no more than 20 rifles or pistols. Lord Cushendun (Britain) said he thought the proposals must be seriously and solemnly examined on their merits. They must not be rejected merely because they had emanated from Moscow. The committee’s general discussion on Dr. Benes’s memorandum was concluded. A drafting committee was appointed to draw up a general report and to formulate the necessary draft conventions. GERMANY’S PLAN Herr von Simson (Germany) submitted a new German memorandum for the prevention of war. This briefly suggests that all nations, members and non-members of the League, shall sign, an agreement to accept the council’s decisions in times of international crises. The Canadian delegate, Dr. Riddell, suggested that security would more effectively be advanced by disarmament than by pledges of armed assistance. The absence of armed forces on the boundary between the United States and Canada had promoted confidence and banished fears and suspicions. which were the enemies of security. Dr. Riddell called attention to the desirability of States which have geographical and similar difficulties considering the establishment of a Permanent Commission, comprising an equal number of each State’s eminent men, for the purpose of investigating, reporting and even deciding upon those difficulties.—A. and N.Z.-Sun.