Geneva’s Influence

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 762, 7 September 1929, Page 9

Geneva’s Influence

Conference Among Nations BRITAIN’S WILL FOR PEACE (Australian and K.Z. Press Association ) Received 1.5 p.m. GENEVA, Friday. BY our action at The Hagxxe xve have taken the final step to end world war,” said Mr. Arthur Henderson, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, addressing the Assembly of the League of Nations. He stressed the importance of securing a general acceptance of arbitration as a means of obviating the danger of future wars which would certainly be worse than anything hitherto conceived. He hoped the proposed treaty concerning financial assistance for victims of aggression might be converted into a general convention for signature by members of the League before the close of the Assembly. Britain would sign such a convention, subject to safeguards.

When the Assembly met this morning the report of the League for the past year was discussed. Mr. Henderson observed that the League had now become a powerful institution exercising an ever-increasing influence upon the moral and spiritual ideas of the peoples of the world. He stressed the importance of arbitration for settling international disputes. Arbitration was important on account of the spirit it -would create between nations, who no longer relied on armed conflict to settle their disputes. That was why Great Britain had decided to sign the optional clause of the Court of International Justice. Britain would be ready, continued Mr. Henderson, to sign any treaty for strengthening the means of preventing war. Mr. Henderson read the draft of a resolution which will shortly be placed before the Assembly by the British delegation. The resolution proposes that a committee should he appointed to revise Articles 12 and 15 of the covenant in order to bring them into line with the Kellogg Pact. Mr. Henderson said that the British Government was ready to accept the procedure, which might seem most wise to adopt in this' connection, provided the main principle was agreed to. In regard to Mr. Henderson's statement It may he pointed out that the Kellogg Pact, if shorn of reservations appended to it by certain signatories, would place an absolute ban on war “as an instrument of national policy’,” except in legitimate case of selfdefence by a nation which had been attacked. The League Covenant, on the other hand, merely provides, under its articles 12 and 13, that where an international dispute is submitted to arbitration or judicial settlement, or to an inquiry, by the League Council, and where the latter fails to reach a unanimous decision on the rights and wrongs of the dispute, individual members of the League are free, after three months’ wait from the time of failure to agree, to take such action as they please. NAVAL LIMITATION FIRST STEPS TOWARD DISARMAMENT MR. MACDONALD’S FAITH British Official Wireless RUGBY, Friday. The Prime Minister, Mr. MacDonald, will leave Geneva tonight and reach Paris tomorrow. It is expected

that he will fly from Le Bourget to London.

Speaking today at a luucheou given by journalists who are attending the meeting of the League, in honour of members of the League Council, Mr. MacDonald referred to the naval disarmament negotiations between Britain and the United States. Mr. MacDonald said: “We have our difficulties, of course. We have things of the most complicated character to settle, but the will of the people is all powerful, and in the end must have the last word, where grave issues of peace are being determined by sincere statesmen.’* A Press Association message says it is learned that Britain’s naval proposals have reached Washington by mail, and that the American Government’s reply is awaited. A 'message from Geneva says the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Arthur Henderson, broadcast an address which was relayed throughout Europe. He said: “The naval agreement between Britain and the United States, which the Prime Minister, Mr. MacDonald, says is in sight, is only a preliminary step. “Naval disarmament alone is useless. We must deal also with land and air armaments, tanks, guns and airplanes. We are therefore hoping that at the present Assembly of the League we can prepare a way for the Preparatory Commission on Disarmament by accelerating its task of drafting a general disarmament treaty, in order that a world-wide conference on the subject may be summoned within a reasonable time.’* PARITY THE AIM ANGLO-AMERICAN NEGOTIATIONS (Australian and ZS ~.Z. Press Association) WASHINGTON, Thursday. It is understood that parity as between the British and American navies -would apply to each category of combatant ships, instead of to the two navies as a whole. Parity in battleships and aircraft carriers was agreed upon at the Washington Conference eight years ago, and the purpose of the present negotiations is that the two Governments should carry this programme through all the fighting arms of the two navies. Should a complete agreement be reached, Japan. France and Italy will be invited to attend a general conference, which under the present expectations in high administration quarters in Washington it will be possible to hold late this year, or early next year.