Evening star., 1927-08-31
NAVAL CONFERENCE
FAILURE TO HAUNT
NEW ARMS PARLEY
Shadow of Tri.PoWer Ses-
sions Clouds Gathering of
League Council.
OCCUPATION OF GERMANY
TO BE AMONG BIG ISSUES
Absence of Lord Cecil Likely to
Have Profound Effect on
Geneva Sessions.
BY \. X. DECKER.

GENEVA, August 31.--Weeks have
passed since the end of the Geneva
tri-power naval conference, but it's
ghost lives to dominate the September
meeting of the League Of Nations
Council and Assembly for reduction OF
all ornaments.
The military occupation OF Germany
provides food for reflection as the
powers measure each others forces.
Otherwise. the Council and Assembly
agenda. as Professionally outlined, is
quite an innocuous and innocent list
Of banal subjects, including, for ex.
ample, the League budget, intellectual
cooperation and study Of the results
Of the press conference.
However, the League session may
prove interesting because of what is
not on the agenda, with representa-
tives of various powers choosing Gene
va as place to continue the game of
international intrigue.
Cecil's Absence DeplOred.
The biggest shadow hanging over the
meeting at present is the resignation
of Lord Cecil of Great Britain, long
considered a League fixture, his work
having The most profound influence on
the League next to Woodrow Wilson.
Lord CeciIs absence from Geneva will
be greatly deplored by League support.
ers, but the international situation
does not permit his presence.
The naval conference is the main
reason. Great Britain has affirmed her
intention of maintaining her navy on a
war footing in peace time. Lord Cecil
has consistently preached reduction OF
armaments and even labored success
fully to place France in a position
where she would be obliged to accept
reduction of the Rhineland army of
occupation.
Later the British government be.
came radically conservative and ma
tionalistic, demanding that Lord Cecil
put through moves perhaps against
his conscience and better judgement
not that Lord Cecil was a peace-at-
affy.price man. He was able to guide
the postwar pacific movements to
the best interests Of Great Britain,
something that cannot be said for the
American pacifists, who sank the
American Navy.
Proof of Lord Cecil's patriotism is
that he was responsible for the begin
ming of Great Britain's hundred-mil-
lion-dollar Singapore naval base. But
Lord Cecil is seen now as impossible as
British league representative, with
his previously avowed disarmament
views, while a 35,000-ton British dry
dock is being towed to Singapore to
be ready for the Rodney, the Nelson
and three other dreadnaughts when
they are moved to the Pacific to start
a naval chess game for control of Chi
nese trade.
Diminishes British Hope.
Paul Boncour, the French orator,
could tear the British position to
pieces, and probably would, should
Lord Cecil come to Geneva. With
Great Britain's avowed policy for four
times as many commerce destroyers
as the United States, her demand for
a decrease in continental aircraft, sub
marines and land forces makes Oppo-
sition to French alliances absurd and
even diminishes the British hope of
building a sanitary Gordon around
Russia. Hence Lord Cecil is replaced
by the British war minister. 0nslow.
Bearing in mind Lord Cecil's con-
sistent patriotism, one can forgive his
efforts during the first league assem-
bly, meeting to have the United States
take the Armenian mandate for the
purpose of having American troops
act as q buffer between Mesopotamia
and Russia. But the tenacious Brit
ish will not yield. 1t is thought they
will attempt to throw the onus for
the failure of disarmament upon the
United States, claiming that the
United States insists on building Of
fensive ships and increasing gun ele-
vations, thus causing the failure of
the tri-power conference and entail
ing failure of the whole idea of world
reduction of ornaments.
1t is thought the burden of moral
responsibility will be thrown upon the
United States with all possible prop.
aganda methods.
Compared with the above, the CUES.
ton of few thousand more or less
allied troops in the Rhineland pales
into insignifcance. Lord Cecil has
served his country well, but he does
not tit into the picture any more.