The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1922. DISARMAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1922, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1922. DISARMAMENT.

The scheme submitted by Lord Robert Cecil to the Disarmament, Committee of the League of Nations is, in theory, admirable, while its simplicity is undeniable. From a common-sense point of view there is much to be said in favor of groups of adjacent nations being joined together for the purpose of defence, following as it does the principle whereby a number of sticks firmly tied in a bundle possess infinitely greater strength than is possible when the same number of sticks are separate units. Moreover, the formation of groups in the same region, if adopted throughout the world, would automatically bring about universal disarmament. The scheme pre-supposes a universal desire to be relieved of the burden entailed by armaments, and that there exists a general yearning for peace. To some extent this assumption is justified, but reference to history impels us to remember that certain peoples are permeated with warlike tendencies that have been exhibited throughout their existence, so that it can hardly be expected that those who live by war —and practically for plunder and the lust for destruction —can be trusted to change their nature merely by signing an agreement to help others keep the peace. At the same time there is much in the ideal presented by Lord Robert Cecil that must appeal to the world at large. Unquestionably the prospect of universal disarmament is alluring, and were it not for the known frailty of human nature and the strength of human passions, the scheme would at onee be hailed with fervent expressions of hopes for its success. The cause of peace has advanced to the extent of absolute proof being given, as the result of the recent Great War, that war does not pay, and if airy corroborative evidence is needed, it is to be found in the chaotic financial, industrial and economic conditions which the world has of late been experiencing. The position at present is that some nations badly want breathing time to enable them to recover from the overstrain to which they have been subjected, while others are yearning for more prosperous times, which cannot be obtained while the burden of armament is draining their resources. In the case of the smaller nations there naturally exists a fear, which was voiced by the Scandinavian delegates at Geneva, that the guarantees to be given by regional groups for assisting to preserve peace would necessitate increased armaipent, not for self-protection, but to safeguard other members in the same regional group. Such a feeling can well be understood, yet while the fear may exist, the danger is negligible. One of the main features of the proposal for regional groups is that it is a matter of no importance how many groups are formed, the aim being to attain universality. There must continue to exist a certain amount of land, sea and air armed forces in order to deal with hostile outbreaks when they occur, for happen they will until humanity is clothed with a new spirit that eliminates all selfishness, greed, hatred and other evil passions. Obviously, however, the more progress made in binding the nations together to prevent war, the less will be the risk of armed strife, especially if, when groups are formed, they will subsequently combine with other groups, and thus form a worldwide bulwark against war. The closer the nations are brought together and become impressed with the advantages of co-operating one with the other in the arts of peace and inter-trade, the less will be the chance of facing the horhors of wasteful wars. Lord Robert Cecil’s scheme is no empty dream, Imt a practical basis on which can be built a prosperous and progressive world. In the first of the resolutions it is declared that “no scheme for the reduction of armaments can ever be fully successful unless it is general.” There is no controverting such a self-evident truth, and it is on that basis that the whole scheme depends. That all the resolutions were carried testifies to the strong desire for peace, and though the mternational firma-

inent still discloses threatening war clouds, that fact emphasises with unerring precision the need for some such scheme as that brought forward at Geneva.