Good Faith Not Enough

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 654, 4 May 1929, Page 9

Good Faith Not Enough

POWERS AND DISARMAMENT

Budgetary Limiting Supported British Official Wireless Received 11 a.m. RUGBY, Friday. IN tlie Preparatory Disarmament Conference at Geneva I to-day, Lord Cusliendun, the chief British delegate, gave an opinion regarding the two methods of limitation of war material which had been put forward—namely, direct limitation and budgetary limitation.

He considered that direct limitation was the obvious and ideal method, except that it could not be applied without some form of international control. Mr. Hugh S. Gibson (United States) had urged this system, but he did not think the United States could permit an international commission to investigate its armaments, and he could say the same for England. With these two countries refusing international control, the direct system of limiting war material became impossible. Another proposal was that disarmament should be left to the good faith of those concerned. Without something more complete than good faith, however, he feared that international

suspicion would only be increased. He preferred the French proposal for budgetary limitation, which, while it was not ideal, he considered a step in the right direction. The debate was adjourned until tomorrow. An Australian and New Zealand Press Association message says the Commission is discussing the method by which reserves of war material should be determined. German, Russian and several other delegations favour returns of the various categories of arms, which is termed the direct method. Lord Cushendun declared Britain's willingness to accept any agreement favoured by the majority.