Washington Conference.

Hokitika Guardian, 22 December 1921, Page 2

Washington Conference.

v From the Special Representative of the Australian Press Association.) FRENCH RATIO. WASHINGTON, Dec. 20. The French halve accepted Hr Hughes’s naval ratio of one hundred seventy five thousand tons hut de-* clines to accept the same proportion in reduction of defensive ships 6Uch as cruisers, torpedo boats and submarines. AMERICAN OPINION. UNITED SERVICE TELEGRAMS. LONDON, Dec. 21. A special representative at Washington Conference says astonishment was created by the announcement from White House that the Administration interprets the quadrilateral agreement to mean that Japan is no more included in the islands of Pacific than United States, and that the quadrilateral concerns itself with island possessions of the nations which are a, party to the agreement. The executive would no more : think it applied' to the mainland of Japan than to the mainland bf America. Japan is regarded as a party to the pact, not as an island. Tlie British interpretation is that the agreement does include the mainland of Japan, and Mr Hughes recently expressed the same view. TERMS OF AGREEMENT. (Received This Day at 9.40 a.m.) WASHINGTON, Dec. 21. When the President was responding to press inquiries to-day lie expressed tlie opinion that the homeland of Japan did not come within the words “Insular possessions and Dominions,” in the four party agreement. This expression will be emphasized as a division between the president and delegation. The President announced to-night tlie difference in view would be in no wise permitted to embarrass the Confer--1 cnee or ratification of the agreement. He assumed all along the spirit of tlie Conference contemplates confidence, which pledges respect to territory in ’ every v.av which tends to promote a . lasting peace. He learned front United States delegates that- they agreed to ’ tlie construction which excludes homeland of Japan in the term “insular possession has no objection to that con--1 i struction.”