Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-14
ARGENTINA NEVER
LEAGUE MEMBER,
HER EXPLANATION
Declines to Serve Notice of
Withdrawal; Adhesion
Never Ratified.
SNUBBED IN ASSEMBLY;
is OUT FOR ALL TIME

Geneva Session Begins Considera.
ton of Program for World
Disarmament.
| By the Associated Press.
BUENOS AIRES. December 1.-THE
Argentine government will not give
any notification of withdrawal from
the league of nations in accordance
with article / of the pact, because il
does not consider that Argentina evel
has been a member of the league, ths
Associated Press was informed by the
foreign office today.
This statement was made to clarity
what is held to be misapprehenSioI
concerning Argentina's position ir
withdrawing her delegates from tht
assembly Of the league, which hal
arisen on account of Geneva dis
patches indicating that notification Of
withdrawal from the league was ex'
pected from Argentina as the mex
diplomatic step, and that 1t was con
sidered she must continue to be 9
member of the league for two years
accordance with the terms of the pact
The foreign office points to a series
Of diplomatic documents published
last week regarding the relations Of
Argentina to the league, which are
held to show that she only accepted
the formation Of the league fn prin-
ciple." Her adhesion. it is declared
was adhesion in general"
The documents are adduced to show
it was clearly stated, that Argen-
tina sent delegates for the purpose
of assisting in the organization OF
the league after having set forth in
diplomatic communications that 1t ia.
vored the establishment of a league
in which all nations would partici-
pate without distinction.
The governments decision, there
fore, was conditional, it is furthei
explained. and its delegates went to
Geneva to discuss the conditions OF
the leagues establishment. This was
the reason, the explanation sets
/ forth, why the question of adhesion
was never submitted to the congress
of Argentina for ratification. since
the government had not entered into
any international agreement that
could be ratified.
Had the league been, formed In a
way acceptable to the Argentinian
government then the question of rat
in II would have been submitted to
the congress. ~
The Argentine governments view.
it was declared. is that since the Ge-
neva assembly did not permit discus
sion Of the Argentfnian conditions
the withdrawal OF A-gentina's delega-
tion ends the matter for her 30 Tar
az the present league is concerned.
Dlsarmament Comes Up.
BY the Associated Press.
GENEVA, December 14-An agree.
ment among the powers to put an imme-
diate and to the growth of armaments is
contemplated in the, league Of nations
plan for disarmament as presented by
the disarmament committee at today's
session Of the assembly here. The council
Of the league is asked to undertake the
bringing about of such an agreement.
In explaining the report to the
| assembly, Hjalmar Branting of Swe-
den and II. A. L. Fisher OF Great
Britain said that the committee, while
unanimously and wholeheartedly in
favor of the speediest possible dis
armament, was forced to come to the
conclusion that the moment had not
accomplish it.
There are countries with the most
powerful armament building facilities
| outside the league" said Mr.. Fisher
| "and disarmament can begin only
when it is universal"
Popose International Arms ContreL
The committee in it's report pointed
| out that convention for the control
! of the traffic in arms and ammunition
| was. signed by Great Britain, the
| United States. France japanese. Bel
| gium, Bolivia. Cuba, China, Ecuador
| Greece and Italy at st. German when
| the Austrian peace treaty was sign
ed. but that this convention had not
| yet been ratified and that no steps
| had been taken to make it effective
| The report proposes that the council
urge the signatories to ratify the
J treaty without delay.
The convention in question pro-
| hibits exports of arms and munitions
which under special licenses for de-
| liveries to the governments them
| selves. 1t was especially intended to
! prevent the quantities of arms re-
| manning on hand at the end of the
| war from falling into the hands of
| the less civilized peoples. 1t provides
| for an international office to control
| the trade in arms. The committee
proposes that this body be used in a
| more general way to exercise control
over the privote manufacture OF
| arms.
MI. Fisher. in discussing the rec
| omm endation in the report regarding
| the checking of the growth Of ar
maments, said he had no doubt of
the acceptance by Great Britain for
| the proposal to spend no more on
armaments for the next two years
than she did last year.
l. .Disarmament," said George Eicol]
Barnes Of the british delegation.
who followed Mr.. Fisher, lis the real
| acid test of the success Of the league
| of nations"
II regret" he added, that there is
| in the report no clear-cut declara-
| ton; that there is not less bubble
| and more pluck"
Would Limit Expenditures.
Referring to the statement in the
report that the control of the ex
! portation Of arms had been hindered
! by the absence of necessary author
| ity to control exports of arms from
| the United States, a country where
arms are manufactured on a large.
Mr.. Barnes said that that fact should
| not prevent the other governments
carrying out the provisions of the
| St. German convention.
| 1.-THE first step in disarmaments.
was the Characterization of the meas.
Branting of Sweden. the chairman o1
| the committee, when he laid the re-.
port before the assembly. The report
largely filled with academic discus.
sion. proposed as the first practica
measure to ask the powers to agree
| not to spend on armaments during thu
next two years more than they spenl
last year. 1t also asked for continued
| study Of the disarmament question b1
the military commission Of the league
and by a special temporary committee
Leon Bourgeois of France said h
accepted the conclusions Of the report
with the reservation that France wa.
Continued on Page ,. Column 81