Evening star., 1925-05-09
ARMS SALES CURB
WILL Be ELASTIC
Freedom Of Exports Under
Certain Conditions Obtain
ed by Small Nations.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
GENEVA, May 9.-The smaller
countries represented at the League
of Nations international conference
for the control of traffic in arms ana
munitions today won Il signal victory
when they succeeded in securing gen
eral approval of the principle that
liberty Of traffic instead of prohibition
shall be the basis of the convention.
The campaign of the smaller coun-
tries for this point was inspired by
fear that they would be placed in an
unbearable position Of dependency on
the great arms manufacturing coun-
tries for legitimate supplies of arms
and war materials, if prohibition of ~
port of such materials remained The
fundamental principle Of the confer
enCe.
The resolution proposed by the
smaller countries and adopted hy the
conference provides that the basis of
the proposed convention shall be:
First. the prohibition of export of
arms and munitions 10 individuals,
and, second, freedom Of exports to
governments under certain conditions.
China Is Fearful.
No delegations voted against the
resolution, although China insisted
that liberty of arms traffic will as
tound the world. which had expected
different things from this conference
The Japanese delegate d. Matsuda
argued that it might he dangerous to
use either the word prohibition" or
liberty in the final draft and that
il would he better 70 ffN clearly the
conditions under which arms may he
exported without bothering about cS-
tablishing a principle.
The delegates from Latin-Americar
countries said that the use of the
word prohibition would only de
ceive the world and that the suppress
sion of the sale of arms to govern
ments would be a violation of their
Sovereignties.
Paul NJ Boncour. chief French dele
gate, said that the liberty of eNpor-
tation must always imply that arma-
ments are intended for defense
The conference adjourned until Mon
day
\On-Interference Sought.
Mr.. BonCour, who is head of the
French commission of national de
fense. said today that all he asks OF
the United States is that it adopt "a
benevolent attitude toward any rea-
sonable peace protocol that may even
tually be framed by the league FOR
Europe and that the United States
not render Ineffective any sound
blockade arrangement against an ag
greSSOr state.
NJ. Boncour explained in statement
TO the Associated Press discussing
peace and disarmament prospects that
he fully understands the disinclination
H. /
pean politica affairs.
He said that France probably viii
ratify soon the leagues peace proto-
col and that he fully expects that
protocol 10 dominate the discussion
at the next league assembly.
Wants Pact in Protocol
NJ. Boncour said that if France
finally neEotiates defense pact with
Great Britain. Germany and other
powers that pact should enter into
the framework of the leagues proto-
col. which. he said. France is ready
10 revise accordingly. but which
should remain the essential feature of
European peace.
NJ. Boncour said that other regional
agreements such as the one between
France and Poland and Czechoslo-
vakia also should he incorporated in
the protocol.
With regard 10 the arms confer
ence, he declared that the fears of
the smaller states are due to the
present lack of control and publicity
regarding armamentS by countries
whose manufacture of arms is unre-
stricted This fear, he said. proves
that if the present convention is
successful it should he followed by
tG h.
vate manufacture of arms and mu-
nitiOnS.
These conventions and a peace pro-
tocOl with guarantee paCts are the
essential preliminaries to armaments
reduction. he said.