NAVAL PACT.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20176, 3 March 1931, Page 9

NAVAL PACT.

TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT. DETAILS NOT TO BE ANNOUNCED YET. (UNITES) PRESS ASSOCIATION—BT ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.) (Received March 2nd, 7.15 p.m.) LONDON, March 1. A tri-partite naval agreement has been achieved, according to a Paris message. M. Briand, with the British and Italian Ambassadors, met Mr Arthur Henderson and Mr A. V. Alexander, the British Cabinet Ministers, who informed them of the result of the Italian conversations. Three hours later it was announced that the negotiations had been successful. The terms of the agreement among the British, French, and Italian Foreign and Naval Ministers, as negotiated at Paris, will be recommended for ratification by the Governments concerned, and details will not be announced for several days, as they must be , communicated to Washington and Tokio, and to the - Dominions. FRANCO-ITALIAN TRUCE.

SLOWING DOWN OF CONSTRUCTION. (Received March 2nd, 8,15 p.m.) LONDON, March 1. The Rome correspondent of "The Times" says: The Franco-Italian compromise is a species of truce or slow* ing down of the constructional rhythm, the underlying idea being that after the 1930 programmes there shall be only replacements, and not even exact The compromise is apart from the 70,000 tons of battleships allotted to Franco and Italy under the Washington -Treaty, which it may be found unnecessary to construct. Apparently it means not only limitation but a ■slight reduction in armaments.-—"The Times" Cables.

PRESS OF ROME SATISFIED. ALTERATION IN PRINCIPLE. (Received March 2nd, 7,15 p.m.) R/OME, March 1. Tho Press is unqualifiedly satisfied with the Naval Agreement, Signor Grandi has issued a statement to the effect that Italy .has made great sacrifices. The principle of global or tonnage parity with Franco has disappeared, and" equality is now oonfined to new construction before 1936.