Evening star., 1922-02-05
OFF7CZAL TEXT COVERING
4 SIXTH PLEZNARY SESSION
Delegates Express Appreciation Of Results
Achieved and Praise America for
< Taking Lead in Call.

;The official statement issued oy the
arms conference at the conclusion OF
the sixth plenary session yesterday
Mr' Baifour of the British delega-
"on Saturday, the 18th of Novem-
ber, exactly twelve weeks ago. the
President Of the United states IN an
Eloquent speech with which ne inan, u
gurated our meetings, asked us 10
approach our labors with the ialL
Consciousness that we were Workins
in the service of mankind. anu tha
the spirit that should animate US was
the spirit Of simplicity, hono- anu
honesty.
Balfour Cites Labors.
Looking back over that Twelve
weeks, l think We may say. "-;nout
undue self-esteem, that that adv ice
SO nobly rendered by the head "f the
state under whose hospitality our
meetings have been carried "n. mas
been taken, and that we nave hao
tile consciousness that we We're
working in the service or mankinu.
that we had the consciousness that II
that service was to be of any avail
its smust be carried out in the spirit,
I'd use the Presidents words, or SIM
hlicity, honesty and honor.
s"You have listened at this plenary
conference 10 Iue TSCoi u VI ooh " VI -
and l can well believe that the mass
OF treaties, of resolutions, OF state
1HentS put on record, may almost pro-
duce in the minds of the auditors 4
feeling of confusion, as If the mass
Of work turned out was indeed foiml-
dable in quantity. but that thare was
no underlying idea regulating its
character, that it was mighty mass
of which the plan was by no means
obvious. l think thai those who have
been engaged in the work themselves
as well as those who VIII hav" an op-
portunity of calmly considering II as
a whole, will see the great result
we have attained. as well as the o.
tLaordinary mass of detail with which
we have had to deal. We have hao
to travel over the globe and we nave
dealt both with things most trifiing.
apparently, and with things OF. the
deepest Importance.
Memories Cast Back.
''If you would really estimate the
magnitude of our accomplishment.
and the method by which our results
have been achieved. may l ask you 10
cast your memories back only lew
months ago. when spirit OF deep
anxiety overshadowed the minds OF
every man who contemplated the state
of public feeling in the great Paclnc
urea? You will remember that at that
time although the world was still
OteeQlnS from TtccH1 "OUANS, a.
though every nation was groan1hs
under the pressure of taxation. never
theless men who profess to have the
gift of foresight talked glibiy ABOUT
inevitable naval wars, and When tne
greatest maritime powers in the world
felt that they were almost committed
to that fatal rivalry of shipbu1ld1ns.
which meant not only ruin TO tne
finances of the world, but was
standing menace to its peace am
history
am talking about state OF tnlngs
which was prevalent within the last
twelve months. and indeed up to a
time more recent than year ago.
Suspicion Is Removed.
s.Nay we not see in the changed
feelings of men that already the work
of the conference has produced beneh. :.
cent results? Already this feeilns OF
mutual suspicion, of mutual fear, has
given away to spirit of very ar
ferent character. Confluence mas taken
the place of miStruSt. All tnose "ho
either from the financial or the mora. !
side looked with horror upon TINS
competitive building in armaments
now feel that by the labors OF TINS
conference. by the spirit 1t mas snoWn'
by the decisions to which II mas come.
a new era has really begun over the
whole world. but more than anywhere
else over that part of the WorIo IN
which the great maritime powers ar :
most intimately and deeply concerned.
The center of our troubles has oesn
the peculiar problems to whlcn the
apecial conditions of China have given
rise during the last quarter OF a CEN
tury. Through the whole OF that quar-
Ter of a century the relations between
China and foreign powerS-and sun
more between foreign powers them-
selves in relation to China-have given
endless cause of anxiety and preoccu.
nation to statesmen. / do not say ehat
difficulties arising in the far east are
forever at an end.
Must Work Cut Destiny.
But we have to recognize, in the first
place, that China must work out ner
own destiny in accordance with the
Changes of a changing world. that all
we can do is to help her along her path;
that she has little to gain from our ad.
vice, and that it is upon sources OF
strength drawn from within herself, ,
and those alone, in the last resort at Inat
she mustirely. Nevertheless. the great
commercial nations that trade with
China have suffered in the relations
between themselves, owing 10 tne
peeuliarities of the Chinese problem
which | have vaguely indicated, and for
these many years past it has been
fottnd very difficult to reconcile, not
mej.ely the difficulties arising between
emma and this or that power, put
between all the powers in their common
reHtions to the great empire OF the lar
east.
Tbop~I do more than hope. I believe
Fiat the greatest step in regularizlns
these. relations has been taken by this
conference, under the leadership OF the
United States. 1 firmly believe that.
though difficulties may arise in the fu-
ture people will never aaveto go far-
ther back than the date of this con-
ference.
* Naval Grouping Cause.
.If the far eastern difficulties were
the beginning of the troubles II 1T
was from them that this brood or
suspicious arose, how were the 'd!fn :
culties thus arising to be dealth with!
Those difficulties were aggravated by
a grouping of naval powers in the
Pacific which had indeed a very solid
justification in the historic past, al
though it had no relevance to the ex-
listing situation, and the first thing.
therefore, to do was to clear away
that which, while it had no present
value for any purpose l know OF, was.
nevertheless, the cause, rightly or
wrongly, OF unhappy suspicious and
discussions as to what would occur
should this or that serious interna-
tional contingency arise, and these
suspicious thus aroused made the
most fatal contribution to the destruc-
tion of that peace and internaG onai
amity which is the foundation of all
prosperity, either east or west. Those
causes of misunderstanding have
been removed, and now, under the
Quadruple arrangement, all the great
maritime powers of the Pacific have
entered into formal and public un-
dertaking which as far as l can see
must remove all further causes of in
ternational offense: That. you will
ceedings. 1 regard the Chinese prob
lem as the root-as the first stage.