26 SEPTEMBER 1931, Page 2

Disarmament at Geneva The Disarmament Committee of the League on

Satur- day decided to invite nations that are not members to join it in discussing the Scandinavian proposal that all Powers should abstain, till after next February's Con- ference, " from any measure leading to an increase in the present level of their armaments." The proposal is on much the same lines as Signor Grandi's suggestion that there should be a truce in armaments, which France regards as undesirable until guarantees of her national security are afforded. It is not a good omen that the Franco-Italian conversations, on a naval agreement, have come to nothing. M. Dumont, the French Minister of Marine, declared at Cherbourg on Sunday that, in view of the increasing speeds of warships and the rebirth of the German Navy, France might have to station a strong fleet in the North Sea. Any such move would not promote the cause of naval disarmament. How navies are to be maintained, not to say increased, in these times of adversity passes our comprehension. On economic grounds alone, the case for reducing armaments is surely overwhelming.