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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 5, Issue 1 (May 1, 1930)

Europe holds the Throttle

Europe holds the Throttle.

From cabled summaries to hand at time of writing, it seems that the Three-Power Naval Limitation Agreement is a part (Part III.) of a Five-Power Treaty, the London Naval Treaty of 1930, which is, of course, subject to ratification. That France and Italy should have seen their way to sign so much of this Treaty (including Part IV. curbing submarine action) encourages the hope that they may yet join up with the limitation portion. France and Italy now have it in their hands to better the Treaty by a mutual disarmament arrangement equalling (or exceeding) its limitation provisions. They also have it in their power to undermine the Treaty by entering upon a degree of naval construction such as shall compel insular Britain to withdraw (under the protection clause) from three-Power limitation, and to build ships against a European menace. To ward off that disaster, Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald openly appeals to the peoples of the Continent. Disdaining camouflage, he says that the Conference “will prove” (not “has proved”) a great landmark “if what has been done is immediately used to prepare the public mind to do more.” Post-conference conversations may “make any use of the protection clause unnecessary,” and “I appeal to the public opinion of Europe to range itself behind those conducting these negotiations.”

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