The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-07-16
CLAIMS EUROPE
IS GIGANTIC
ARSENAL
Socialist NJ. 2. Says Nations
Should Demand Truth Of
Situation
By CHARLES A. SMITH.

BY Ck1ARLES A. SMITH,
LONDON. July ls.- Europe at
the present moment II d vast
arsenal. AT any moment some sec.
ton Of the community might apply
the match that would plunge Il into
all the horrors Of another great
war"
Edmund D. Moren, Socialist mem.
Der Of Parliament for Dundee, and
Well-known authority on foreign af-
fairs. utters the above warning III
an amazingly outspoken interview
published here, in which he shows
that nearly every European country
e making wholesale preparations
for war.
Morel is widely known for his
activity In connection with Inisruled
races. He visited the United
States in 1904 and inaugurated q
movement against nnisrule In the
Congo, and has published many
books on the world war and its re-
lation to foreign policies.
He charges that the real danger
point IL to be found in powerful In.
dustrial and financial interests In
France. and calls for the convoca-
tion Of an international conference
on the ornaments problem and the
political and economic issues which
have created It.
Extensive Output"
There il going on at the present.
moment, Morel declares, "a more
extensive output OF war material
than at any time since the peace.
The chief centers Of production are
two-the Skoda works In CzeciI0
slovalxia and the Austrian State
factories. French influence and
French money are directing both.
In the spring OF this year the
French owned shares IN the Skoda
Company worth SO 1000 900; the
managing director and the CHER
technical experts are Erenchmen.
go as far as to say that France
now controls practically the whole
war mechanism Of Czechoslo vakia.
WAR material IL being produced
In enormous quantities at the Aus
TRAN State factories. During the
past fifteen months Yugo-Slavia
has been supplied by the Austrian
factories with 100000 Mauser
rifles, 1905, 900 rounds Of rifle am.
munition, 1913 wagonloads Of In.
fantry ammunition, two wagonloads
of machine guns, large quantities Of
field guns, and an immense amount
Of smaller material.
Small Nations, Too.
''Rumania has placed large orders
for shells, guns and ammunition
which are now In process of execu-
ton. Poland is also large pur.
chaser. among the items already
delivered to her being $4,000, 900
pieces Of TO milIimetre ammunition
and 81 wagonloads Of smaller am
munition."
Questioned as to how Austria
manages to manufacture such an
enormous amount Of material In
her present supposed poverty-strick-
en- state, Morel declared: "She ID
being enabled to do It with the aid
Iof the French taxpayers money, by
which mean loans, that these
smaller countries are able to pur.
chase the material.
Members of the Little Entente
are also placing orders in Britain
for war materials,'' Morel added.
Charges ''Conniving."
Under the treaty Austria IL not
q AC0 aSSAAS anu 10 AVt 0tAOWC0 W
manufacture war materials. The
orders to the Austrian State fac.
tories could not even have been
placed, let alone executed, without
the direct knowledge Of the Con-
ference of Ambassadors. The only
conclusion il that some Of the
allied powers are deliberately con.
niving at it. Under our. very noses
French finance is making Europe
into powder magazine.
IF the Continent Of Europe IL TO
be saved from another war;" Morel
concludes, "the people Of Britain
and other countries must cease to
live in q world Of illusions. They
must demand the whole truth, and
the convocation, before 1t IL too
late, of an international conference
on this problem"