New Britain herald., 1925-04-24
LEAGUE TURNS ID
 GET VIEW OF US.
Want Arms Treaty That SatiS,
 feS America

Geneva, April :i,-- Subsequent 10
 its active participation in the inter-
 national opium conference, the
 United States soon will take part in
 another international congress, that
 for the control of the international
 trade in arms. This conference,
 given great importance as a part of
 the general world disarmament
 movement. will open at the league
 palace May .. lp 10 the present
 time Se countries have sIgniied their
 intention to be represented. All the
 great powers will be there.
 The technical preparation for this
 conference has probably been eX-
 ceedcl by that of no other world
 congress. The leagues disarma-
 mcnt section has been studying data
 for years, assembling material from
 all parts Of the world and compiling complete documents with all kinds Of information calculated to assist the delegates in their deliberations
 The league people discovered it vas hopeless 10 do anything real in controlling the traffic in arms with- out the collaboration of the United States. Tn this respect their cX- perience was similar 10 that Of the league experts who, striving to olab- | crate system Of sanctions against , m aggressor state in consonance l with the provisions of the Geneva ! peace protocol which was recently | rejected by Great Britain, soon | came 10 the conviction that any sys- lcm Of measures taken against d | Culpable state could never be as- sured Of success while the United | States remained outside the system.
 So the big problem of the organ iZers of the coming arms confer once was to devise means Of bring ing about American participation with some assurance that docu- ment would emerge that would sat- isfy all the American objections to the convention for the control of arms traffic signed in 1919 at St. Germain- n-cn-Laye, France.
 The Washington objections 10 the 1919 convention were that it did not permit trade in arms with countries not parties to it, thus preventing the United States from supplying arms to many Central or South American countries; that the United States could not subscribe in advance 10 |, obligations which would he dependent on national legislation which the government could not guarantee that congress would enact; and that the provisions of the convention, in relation to the i; league of nations. were so closely tnterWoven with the convention as to make it impossible for the American government, which is not :, | member of the league. to ratify .he convention.
 It is now pointed out that the draft convention to be submitted in May has eliminated the first Ameri- can objection. because the export of arms is permissible under certain re- strictions.
 Great difficulty was found in the second American ob- lection. Eventually the situation was thought to be best treated by inserting a clause whereby any gov ernment may declare that 1t &C., cepts the provisions of the conven- ton partially or conditionally, pro- rided the other signatories consent, and provided this kind of adher- ence does not interfere with the ef- of the supervision of the trade in arms and war material.
 As to the third point raised by he United States, it was agreed that | central international office should De established by the council of the league of nations to collect, pre- serve and publish documents of all .inds furnished by signatory states the arms traffic. It is argued that under this clause the eague council can decide whether he proposed international machin- ny shall or shall not be placed un- Ter the aegis of the league of na- ions.