Evening star., 1922-01-08

/ The following statement reports the
d, seventeenth meeting Of the committee
on Limitation of armament:
The seventeenth meeting OF the com
nittee on limitation Of armament was
held this morning. January Z, at eleven
, O'Clock In the Pan-American Union
) Building.
r.if Prince Tokugawa addressed the
committee as follows:
reA- He said that he did not wish to take
the time Of the committee IN the per-
formance Of an unpleasant task; as
some Of the delegates know, he was
about to take his leave Of them to start
that afternoon on his return journey
to Toxic to assume his parliamentary
responsibilities. 1t was needless for
him to say how greatly he appreciated
the courteeies and consideration which
he had received and the spirit OF CO.
operation on the part of his colleagues
which he had encountered That whlcn
the conference had already accom-
plished had been successful; its full
Accomplishment was not yet completed.
In bidding adeiu to his colleagues he
desired to state that he would always
remember with gratitude and pride the
privilege IL had been to sit with them
at the conference and he hoped and
trusted that their paths might meet
again.
Conference Regrets Departure.
The chairman (Mr. Hughes) said
that he was sure they would all deeply
regret that Prince Tokugawa had to
leave them. They were indebted to
him for his cooperation and he might
be assured of their abiding affection
and esteem. He was leaving then the
most pleasant memories of his as
sociation with them in this important
work and the contribution that he had
made personally to the success OF their
efforts. The chairman then suggested
that the committee proceed with the
consideration Of the resolution which
had been presented with respect to the
abolition of the use of asphyxiating
and other poisonous gases In warfare.
He then read the resolution as follows:
The use in war Of asphy yxiating.
poisonous or other gases and all
analogous liquids, materials or de-
vices having been justly condemned
by the general opinion of the civilized
having been declared in treaties to
which q majority of the civilized
powers are parties.
Now to the end that this prohibition
shall be universally accepted as part
of international law binding alike the
conscience and practice Of nations, the
signatory powers declare their assent
to such prohibition. agree to be bound
thereby between themselves and invite
all other civilized nations to adhere
thereto.
Condemns .Barbarous lnveations.'
Mr.. Sarraut said:
Il rise to express my full and frank
adherence to Mr.. Roots resolution.
From the first we condemned the bar
barous Inventions and the abominable
practices introduced by Germany in
the late war. the new methods con-
sisting in the use OF gases. burning
liquids and poisonous substances. and
the first thing we have to do here
officially Is solemnly to denounce
those who took the Initiative in these
things. We should all hope and work
for the final disappearance from war
fare Of these infamous practices II
indeed other wars are to come, a
thought that Is abhorrent to me.
I'VE may, no doubt, accomplish this
by setting an example to the other
countries. The reports OF experts who
have maturely considered the ques-
tion have indeed pointed out the
extreme diffculty, II not impossible
ity. of taking practical precautions
against the threat and the use of
is an established and indisputable
fact that chemicals that are used In
the manufacture Of gases and poisons
are the same that are used for in
Vulnerable ordinary substances nee
essary to the industrial and peaceful
life Of the human race.
"The reports Of experts have es-
tabiished the impossibility of exer-
cising an effective supervision over
the production of gases which may
be used as weapons Of war. and hence
the impossibiiity of preventing or
limiting such production. This as a
logical consequence entails the i'm
possibility of preventing any country
whatever from arming itself in ad-
vance against the unfair use OF those
gases which an unscrupulous enemy
might secretly prepare for sudden use
have seen done during the late war>
Declared Bond OF Union.
But if the exercise Of authority
In the matter does not at the moment
appear practicable the Root resolution
is none the less q useful accomplish
ment: in the frst place. because 1T
will be q bond Of union between the
powers here represented and. further,
because their agreement and their
about the adherence OF all the ma
tions to the same principles. But.
meanwhile. we have here presented a
grand example possessing a not in
considerable persuasive power. and
thus, 1t may be. preventing the repe-
titfcn Of certain atrocities committed
by certain belligerents during the late
war. 1t Is with this loftily humane
motive that the French delegation
euhscribes with all its heart to the
Root resolution"
Mr, Balfour said that as he UNDER
stood the matter the proposal before
the meeting was the reafiirmation Of
tional law. In that sense there was
nothing new in the proposals made
by M Root. Indeed. on the very face
of the document itself 1t was pointed
out that the greater number of ma
tions, in the various treaties which
they had made subsequent to the
armistice, had explicitly or implicitly
declared that in their view the pres
ent proposal was already part Of the
accepted law of nations. He believed
that the United States of America.
who had not ratified those treaties,
I had made separate treaties, but In
those treaties also they had by i'm
piteation affirmed the present proposal
az part of the general law. More
.over. he remembered that In March,
1913, declaration had been made by
alt the allied and associated powers,
dn response to an appeal made to them
/ By the Red Cross Society, In which in
,-cxplicit terms they laid down the same
icdoctrine. Behind all those formal acts
there had been the findings Of the two
Hague conferences which, although SO
( far as he was aware were not ratified
I by the United States CT America, were
igAged in those conferences. undoubt-
edIy with tho sympathy, although not