DISARMAMENT DEADLOCK

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 513, 16 November 1928, Page 9

DISARMAMENT DEADLOCK

DEBATE IN THE LORDS CRITICISM AND REPLY British Official Wireless. Rccd. Noon. RUGBY, Thursday. There was a short debate in the House of Lords to-day on the subject of disarmament. It was begun by Lord Parmoor, who was the British representative to the League of Nations while the Labour Government was in office in 1924Lord Parmoor moved that the House regretted that the British delegation to the recent meeting of the League Assembly did not give effective support to a further policy of disarmament, and all inclusive arbitration. Lord Cushendun, who is acting as Foreign Secretary, and is the present British representative to the League of Nations, replied that he referred Lord Parmoor to the statements which he had already made on this subject. He repudiated Lord Parmoor’s contention that if the protocol proposed by the Labour Government had been accepted, everything else would have followed successfully. On the contrary, he believed that if the protocol had unfortunately been carried, so far from helping disarmament we should have had to increase our naval and military forces in order to be in a position to make good our liabilities under that instrument. This country had given every possible demonstration of its desire to go to any possible length in an attempt to reach an agreement on disarmament. He entirely repudiated any idea that the backward position in regard to disarmament, which he regretted as much as did Lord Parmoor, was due in any way to the acts and omissions of the present Government. The point of disagreement between himself and Lord Parmoor was as to what were the most effective and feasible methods for a peaceful settlement of disputes. The Government preferred the method of bilateral treaties or regional treaties to those which were left open for signature by any State which came along. He submitted that Lord Parmoor had utterly failed to substantiate his motion. The motion was defeated by 33 votes to 10.