LAND ARMIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 July 1922, Page 5

LAND ARMIES.

W REDUCTIONS. SCHEME FOR EUROPE. REGULATING FORCES. By Telegraph —-Press Assn.—Copyright. Received July 5, 5.5 p.m. Paris, July 5. Lord Robert Cecil’s draft treaty, which was discussed at a meting of the Armaments Commission, provides: Firstly: That no reduction proposal shall be effective unless it is general. Secondly: That no Government shall be responsible for reduction on a large scale unless guaranteed territorial security.

Thirdly: Which is only possible by a defensive alliance of all the interested countries, pledging themselves to aid each other in case of attack, the obligation being limited to countries in the same part of the globe as the country attacked. Fourthly: Special measures are to be taken to defend any country running special risks owing to geographical or historical reasons. Fifthly: The foregoing resolutions depend on reduction in comformity with the pre-established scale. Sixthly: That effective machinery shall be created to ensure the establishment of the maintenance of such reduction. Lord Robert Cecil, replying to questions, tentatively accepted Lord Esher’s proposals as a complement of his scheme. Lord Esher fixes thirty thousand men as the military unit, and proposes to allow Belgium two units, Czecho-Slovakia three. Denmark two. France six, Britain three. Greece four. Italy four, Jugo-Slavia three, Holland three. Norway two. Poland four. Portugal one. Roumania three, Sweden two. Spain three. Switzerland two, Germany, Austria and Bulgaria as fixed by the peace treaties. The reduction to the suggested figures will be made within six months, and will operate for ten years.