Evening star., 1932-02-13
ARMS PARLEY HELD
HINGED ON ORIENT
DR.. Yen Declares Reduction
Hangs on Sanctity of
Existing Treaties.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
GENEVA, February l3.-Dr. W. W.
Yen. Chinese delegate to the World
Disarmament Conference, told the con-
ference this morning that its success
or failure depends upon the outcome of
the conflict between China and Japan
in the Far East.
II the covenant Of the League and
the Kellogg pact are permitted to
crumble to pieces over the Sino-
Japanese situation the conference will
fail, he said.
THE outcome Of the present struggle
to ward of external aggression in the
most virulent form" he added, must
inevitably and largely determine the
armament policy which the Chinese
nation will pursue"
DR.. Yen dealt more with the Far
Eastern situation in his address than
with disarmament.
Must Meet Obligations.
my country and my people" he said,
"are not seeking pity or soliciting the
armed help Of other nations in our hour
of trial, but We do demand that the
nations that have affixed their sigma
lures to these solemn instruments fulfill
the obligations to which they have sub
scribed. We do appeal to you to rally
around the covenant and the Kellogg
BRAND pact, for only by so doing can
you make the work Of disarmament real
and permanent"
If, he said, the covenant and the
Kellogg pact prove to be bulwarks of
peace and international justice on which
law-abiding nations can rely for safety
during an ornaments truce, the Dis
armament Conference will mark long
step forward in the organization of
peace.
But If, by some unhappy mis-
chance" he added, "these bulwarks
should crumble, the Chinese people
and the Chinese government would be
regretfully compelled to put above all
other national tasks the building up Of
a national defense strong enough to
secure respect and preserve against ex-
ternal aggression the territorial in
tegrity and political independence OF
China.
Ladies and gentlemen, what are
you going to do about it?"
Canadian Opens ParIey.
Sir George Perley, Canadian dele
gate, told the conference that Canada
will support "any and every construc-
tive proposal for limitation and reduc-
ton of ornaments" The Canadian
representatives address opened today's
session. The League, he said, should
be a channel for public opinion rather
than a superstate He echoed the
speech of Ambassador Hugh Gibson of
the United States in declaring: THE
best insurance against war is the
friendship and good will of your
neighbors."
The German proposals for diSarma-
ment will be laid before the conference
next Wednesday, it was announced dur
ing today's session. They will be
divided into two sections, one asking
for general disarmament, for the VIC
tors as well as the vanquished. as pro-
vided by the Versailles treaties, and
another proposing to prohibit certain
offensive weapons.
Charles Zarine, Latvian minister of
foreign affairs, pledged the government
of Latvia to support both reduction of
armament and a system of mutual as
SlStance.
Count Albert Apponyi. 84-year-old
grand old man" of Hungary, de-
manded universal application of article
VIII of the League of Nations covenant
proclaiming the equal right Of ell ma
tions to the minimum armaments con-
sistent with national safety. He asked
for a reduction of standing armies and
war materials and the abolition of Of
fPncIVP and Qjrr1lQnaS
If disarmament can be reached only
by stages, he said, these stages should
spread over the shortest period possible.