DECLARATION OF LONDON.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1168, 1 July 1911, Page 5

DECLARATION OF LONDON.

DEBATE IN PARLIAMENT.

THE ATTITUDE OF DOMINIONS .QUOTED..

A VEXED QUESTION.

By a'clcerauh-l'ress Assodatlon-CopyrlffM London, Juno 29.

Tho second reading of tlio Naval Priw> 13111, which gives, legislative sanction to tho principles embodied in tho Declaration of London, was moved in tho Houso of Commons to-day by Mr. ,T. M'lCianou, Wood, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Wood said that if Britain refused to ratify tho Declaration she wound run tho risk of having food declared to bo übsoluto contraband of war. She would then havo to build more. Dreadnoughts, and there would bo an end of tho hopo of a limitation of armaments.

The Government attached great importance to tho Dominions' l'rimo Ministers' approval of tho Declaration of London in its broad aspects. Mr. Wood added sarcastically: "Our opponents havo said much less about' tho opinions of tho Dominions' representatives since their approval has been gained." ..

Amid cheers and counter-cheers tho speaker deprecated thouso of tho Dominions as pawns in tluj party game, and said it would bo impossible to defer ratification until a Eoyal Commission had confirmed tho Declaration.

Mr. Wood added that Admiral Sir A. Wilson, Lord Fisher, Rear-Admiral Slado, and four previous Directors of Naval Intelligence, favoured tho Declaration, and their opinions carried moro weight than, those of the dissenting Admirals.

Sir Robert Finlay,' who was Attorney* General in the last Conservative Ministry, derided tho motion that tho Declaration of London would end tho competition in armaments, and declared that tho proposed constitution of tho Prize Court was outrageous. Tho Government had ' completely surrendered British principles on the questions of contraband of war and destruction of neutrals. Though Britain had tho supiwrt of America and Japan, Articlo 31 was simply tho odoption of the German draft. Ratification of tho Declaration would bo a national calamity.

Replying to Sir Robert Pinky, Mr. M'Konna, First lord of tho Admiralty, said the Declaration would not bind Britain in tho slightest in regard to allowing belligerent rights to merchantmen, converted into warships on tho Irish 6cas. The court would havo no jurisdiction between belligerents; l the Declaration affected neutrals alone. Mr. M'Konna added: "If wo wero »t war with a Power which converted merchantmen into warships at sea, wo should bo as free to deal with thoso merchant* ment as beforo tho signing of tho Dcclaro tion." , ■ , Tho debate was adjourned. . Tho Government has granted an additional day for discussing tho Naval Prizo Bill. It is hoped to tcrminato tho debate on Monday.