Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-01-10

limitation of armament.
The eighteenth meeting of the COM
mittee on the limitation of armament
was held this morning, january 9.
1929, at IL o'clock. in the Pan-Ameri-
can building.
The committee had under discus
sion the report of the subcommittee
on aircraft.
Mr. Schanzer said:
THE subcommittee of experts has
come to the conclusion that there Ia
no practical method for limiting MILL
tary and naval aviation.
The Italian member of the subcom-
mittee was alone Of the opinion that
such limitation could be obtained by
limitation of air armament would
permanent military organizations. and
since the other powers are willing to
accept the conclusions of the subcom-
mittee and a proposal aiming to the
limitation OF air ornaments would
have no chance Of being accepted to-
day. we will limit ourselves to ex-
pressing the desire that the future
conference which will be called to
study and define the laws OF aerial
warfare should take up again also
the question OF the limitation of
aerial armament.
Insisted on Limitation.
We have always insisted on the
limitation of armament in all fields
and would deem it regrettable that
the competition which we have par
italy succeeded in excluding from
naval armament should be. transfer
red to the dominion of military and
naval aviation; this would be a serl-
GUS drawback to the work of the
economical reconstruction of our coun-
tries. which it is the duty of each of
us to have in view"
Mr.. Underwood said that he had
NOT expressed his views very much
accord with what they had done He
himself believed in real disar maj ent,
looking to the permanent peace of
the world. and he would be very glad
TO vote for the cutting out of any in
strument of war If it really affected
the situation: but heavier than-air
craft and lighter-than-air craft both
were used for land armament as well
as sea armament. The man who was
trained in one machine could fly in
ohe o'her and. In the main. the ma
chine that might be used with land
armies. with slight changes. could be
used in naval warfare. He personally
would be very glad to see the ques-
ton OF limitation of land armament
taken up, but he understood the con-
ditions that confronted them and
knew that it was not probable that
1t would come before this conference,
for reasons that il, was not neces-
sary to go into. Therefore. 1t did no.
seem to him practicable to pass reso-
lutions in reference to the limitation
of aircraft at this time. For that
reason his view was in accord with
the view of the technical subcom-
mittee.
BalfOur Expresses View.
Mr.. Balfour said that 1t was i'm
possible to resist the practical con-
oil cd -
craft with regard to the limitation
of heavier-than-ai craft. which he
understood was the point for i'm
mediate discussion. This was re-
grettable, because one must regret
anything that restricted our power to
limit armament, whether by land or
sea or air. But we must accept the
facts as they now appeared and leave
1T to some future time to deal with
the subject. when the technical diff
ferentiation between war and peace
aircraft should have become clearer.
Senator Underwood had put with
great force further special obstacle
that stood In the way at the moment.
As he had shown, the conference was
precluded from dealing with the larg-
er problems of land armament. Air
craft were land arm as well as q
naval arm. Accordingly. to deal with
the limitation of aircraft at this time
would be to deal with only q frac-
and to leave wholly untouched the
larger proportion of the great prob
lens connected with 1t.
There was another general argu-
ment pointing in the same direction.
Unlike the case Of submarines, in the
case Of aircraft military and civilian
uses were not sharply divided. There
was practically no commercial civil
use for a submarine, but there were
many who thought that the develop
>f ioI inv to- ~,
exert an immense influence upon the
economic development of mankind
and upon the intercommunication of
different peoples. In the present stage
of their knowledge Of air matters 1t
seemed quite impossible to limit air.
craft designed for military uses with
out also limiting aircraft designed
for commercial uses; SO that every
restriction which could be put upon
aircraft would have double reac-
tion. It might. and perhaps would.
diminish the number of aircraft which
could be used for military purposes,
but 1t could not carry out that OBJ
ject without also diminishing the
number of aircraft to be used for the
peaceful purposes of international in
stances he must admit with reluct-
ance. but with a clear conviction, that
probably the subcommittee was in the
right when they said 1t would be
quite hopeless. mad not only hopeless,
but undesirable. to attempt at the
present time and in the present stage
of our knowledge to limit aircraft.
He was, therefore. prepared to give
his adhesion to the first part of the
FIRST resolution.
Approves First Resolution.
NJ Sarraut said that he had just
listened to the presentation o. GER
tain number of observations in con-
sequence of which he desired to state
that the French delegation gave it's
full assent to the first resolution pro-
posed by the committee.
! The reasons adduced appeared to
him excellent, and the conclusion
reached by the impartial investiga-
ton of the experts was luminous.
If he might be permitted to express
his personal point of view, he would
say that he still regarded with the
gravest apprehension any act which
might be of a nature to paralyze the
progress of aviation.
He had a profound belief in the
beneficial effects to humanity of avia-
ton. If 1t resulted in terrible engines
of war, 1t might also be an instru-
ment of the first Importance in time
of peace.
Already. indeed, the plane was used
and desolate lands called great des-
erts by the experts, and where more
than anywhere else suffering humanity.
had need. of care and of assistance.
In the French colonies. very serious
efforts had been made to effect the
long Substance transportation Of .es-
sential objects and to bring medical
and surgical assistance. Very i'm
portant results had already been at
tanned along these generous and hu-
name lines.
Under these conditions, it would be
very wrong to do ANYTHING that