Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-15
IS URGED
ON ARMS EXPERTS
Commission Hears Loudon
Plead for Haste in Ar
irving at Decisions.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
GENEVA, April l5.-Delegates to the
preparatory disarmament commission at
Its opening meeting today were urged
by President Loudon to hasten on with
their work.
President Loudon declared that pub
lie opinion was becoming impatient of
delay. and rightly so. Pointing TO a
huge steel file back Of him, he said he
had received several thousand petitions
urging the quick progress Of disarma-
ment and some Of them demanding
convocation Of an international disarm-
ament conference In 1929.
These petitions represented the voice
not Of thousands, but OF millions Of peo-
Pile, chiefly workers, the president said
adding that reduction of armaments
had been promised to all peoples and
that the younger generations were giving
more attention to the settlement of
disputes by conciliation and arbitra-
ton.
He urged the delegates to take up
the Russian plan for partial disarma-
ment and the German proposal for
publicity, as well as the question Of
limitation of stocks of war material, to-
gether with unsettled points in the
draft convention. These unsettled
points, he explained, included chemical
warfare, air armaments, naval and air
electives, land armaments, naval arm
aments nd budgetary expenditures.
World Air Police Suggested.
President Loudon announced that he
had received letter from Clifford B.
Harmon of Philadelphia, president of
the International League of Aviators,
suggesting the organization OF an air
! force to keep peace in the world. The
president read lengthy letter from Mr.
Harmon in which the latter expressed
belief that the world should adopt a
pact renouncing war from the air as a
supplement to the Kellogg pact, Har
mon placed himself at the disposition
Of the commission to outline details Of
his project to guarantee against war
| from the air.
The action of the president In read
| ing this letter brought a strong protest
from Lord Cushendun, British delegate,
who said that reading letters from in
! dividuals was open to grave objection
as it would merely be an invitation to
| countless people who hunger for pub
licity' to write to the league.
| Mr.. Harmon was present, as he had
come to Geneva in the hope that he
| might be requested to present the de-
| tails of his plan. AS he emerged from
/ the meeting which adjourned until to-
morrow morning, he refrained from any
! comment on the Cushendun incident
/ merely explaining that everything was
going well and that he was getting
many letters Of support from all over
the world.
Incident Embarasses LOudon.
| President Loudon appeared embar-
rased at Lord Cushendun's remarks and
said he had read the letter because he
believed the idea extremely interesting.
A number of delegates privately. ap-
proved the principle OF Lord. Cushen-
dun's protest.
In the course of his opening address,
] President Loudon voiced pessimism as
to the probability of agreeing on the
draft text Of disarmament treaty at
the presesent session. Making paricu-
| lar allusion to the great naval powers,
he declared 1t was hopeless to think OF
| achieving a general accord until the in
| terested governments ironed out their
capital differences.
Among the delegates at today's session
were Hugh S. Gibson, American Ambas-
sador to Belgium: Count Won Bernstorh
of Germany. and Maximilian LityinoH
I of Soviet Russia.
There was no Argentine representa-
! tive present
u. S. Stand Causes Speculation.
/ Speculation as to possible American
proposals was the chief occupation Of
| delegates.
It is understood, finally, that Ambas-
| sadof Gibson had no .'bombshell" to
drop in the meeting, but probably would
| introduce the ideas of his Government
at the most appropriate moment in the
course Of the future discussions Of the
commission.
The Americans were said to be against
any plan for another naval conference
and were believed to be desirous of stick
ing close to the preparatory commits
| sion-without resort to another agency
| in all developments, whether they be
naval, terrestrial or air problems.