The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1929. AGREEMENT POSSIBILITIES

Hokitika Guardian, 20 November 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1929. AGREEMENT POSSIBILITIES

L’ntii, the Five Power Conference in January next wo will not know the lull possibilities of a. naval agreemont among tire Great Powers. Although Mr Hoover and Mr MacDonald had a frank discussion between themselves, the full extent of their verbal agreement has not been disclosed. General Dawes, however, in his speech, reported in the cables this week, lias let in a good deal of light, and indicated that measure of agreement is substantial. Likewise, he praised the method by which so much advance was made, suporling the privacy of the rouud-the-tahle conclave. Admiral 'l*'romantic when writing to “The Times” lately, went on to say that \Greal Britain appeal's to have been hianocuvred, as a result of a succession of conferences, into a position whereby (lie strength of the British Navy was to he regulated substantially by the result of an agreement with the •

l riitecl States. That position appears to. have, been .strengthqiipd. by the recent private (onfeieuce in America. As the Admiral above quoted has pointed out, “the conditions which should govern the strength of the British Navy differ radically from those, governing the strength of the navy of any >ther nation. The great sea-highways ire the internal lines of communication if the British Empire, and on their eeurity depends our continued nation* 1 existence.” Tiiesq remarks seem to pply specially to’ tTie,^ aspect of. the robleri’i expressed ps j‘/the. freedom- of he' seas.” Mr Hoover has issued a VppTementary statement on the mater, i in, which he has made a. claim for fod ships to be specially exempt from earc-h in war, hut... France and other lytioiis. raised objections promptly, reedoin of the seas is-.something the mericans are disposed,.to fight for if hey cannot secure.,it by agreement, hereby as is being pointeql out, there i a strange discrepancy between the nirit of the Kellogg Pact and the r.v ,for the kind of freedom referred o—the right of trading openl\ T and dthout check with the belligerents. It ■; not likely if there is a general agree.lent in sight along the lines menionod now bv General Dawes, that the hated States would allow the whole respect-of a naval agreement to fall o the. ground if Mr Hoover does not icbj.fcve Sail that lie? aims at in respect o the freedom of the seas. The Unit-' d States is a great trading country, nd is situated remote enough from my probable seat of war to be an in--1 open dent onlooker, and in that capacty open to trade with both or ail . i-elligerents. It would appear that it's tills prospective trade which prompts he insistanee of the demand for the freedom of the seas, and with that' feeling abroad the., difficulty of an igreement on the point is quite imlossible. National interests must be the •cal consideration in the end, and no government can afford to risk the national safety for an ideal. The conversations between Mr Hoover and Mr MacDonald may have revealed the national ideals, hut behind those characteristics, are the well-heng and undoubted security of the individual nation for tiie future. Mutual good faith might lie engendered as between America and Britain, but in the end those two nations are not likely of themselves to war with eiuli oilier. But there arc other Powers and other interests to lie considered, and it is easy to become embroiled when once flic conflagration of war breaks out. The last war became a world war in the end, and in that instance there was ample evidence of the value of the restriction of the freedom of the seas, as a means of contributing to an earlier victory than there would have been otherwise. The evidence of history is Hie strongest reason why the freedom of the seas "should not lie lightly conceded in war time if a navy is to serve anv real purpose in the matter of effective national security.