Geneva, Mar, 26.
The Executive Committee of the Wonien's International League of Peace and Freedom has sent Letters to Sir Austen Chamberlain, Dr:
Bones and Count von Bernstorff drawing their attention to the devastating effect of the import of arms and munitions into China and! appealing to them: to use their influence to suppress the. traffic.
The same organization also has expressed its indignation at the fusal of certain Governments ratify the Eight-Hour Day Convention and recommended active propaganda in favour of ratification of the Convention, Besides this, it urged that full support. should be given to the Soviet proposals for complete disarmament.—Reuter.
Little Prospect of Ratification of League Convention London, Mar, 28.
Sir Robert Thomas (Liberal) asked in the House of Commons today. whether, in view of the. fact that, the continuance of the strife {in China had been prolonged by the ease with which the contestants obtained arma from Europe, there was any prospect that the League of Nations convention of 1925 on the control of trafic in arms would soon be ratified by members in addition to the two that had done 8
Sir Austen Chamberlain replied that the effectiveness of the China Arms Embargo Agreement of 1019 had been largely impaired by the fact that some of the principal arms= supplying States, notably Germany Cxecho-Slovakia." and Russia, were not. parties to it. Germany had declared her readiness to accede to it through hor Minister at a moet~ ing of the Diplomatic Body ¥cking on February 21. This meet~ ing decided to impress on the Go ernments of the Ministers represented, the necessity for preventing the exportation of war munitions to Chinn and expressed the conviction that Powers not adhering to the Embargo Agreement ought to be induced to do so as soon as possible, The Japanese Foreign Minister, Siv Austen continued, on March 1, urged the Soviet Government to prohibit its nationals from engaging these exportations, while representations ud been made to the Czechoslovak Government by the British Minister at Prague," Dr. Benes, the Foreign Minister, had replied that Czecho-Slovakia." war tunable to accede unless the Agrec~ ment was binding on all States.
The Foreign Secretary aided that Grent Britain was prepared ratify the Arms Trefie Convent of 1925 whenever the principal arms-producing Powers were simultane" ously prepared to do so.
Replies t0 the British suggestion from nine European Governments and Japan and the United States, hho concluded, indicated that the quested notice of questions as to whether any Powers expressed a willingness ratify the Convention.—Reuter Panis, Mar, 28—A telephone sert ice between: Paris and New Yor la. London was ceremoniousty.augurated today Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.