The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1929. THE COMING CONFERENCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 December 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1929. THE COMING CONFERENCE.

J N spite of the well-advertised success of Mr MacDonald’s trip io the United States, he is still having trouble with his American critics. A few days ago, recalls a correspondent, the British Prime Minister, discussing the “outlawry of war,” took occasion to remark that the trouble over the “freedom of the seas” has been practically eliminated by the Kellogg Pact. For if all the nations on earth combine to “outlaw” war, then if war actually comes, the belligerents will have to regard all the signatory Powers not as neutrals, hut as enemies. This is all very well as a matter of theory, hut how do the contracting Powers propose to make their hostility felt? The chief difficulty about the Kellogg Pact is that it does not attempt to define the attitude of the signatory Powers towards any nation or State that ventures to break the the peace, and if not even economic sanctions are to he employed against 1 belligerents, it is not clear how the “outlawry” of war can be effected. Of course, what Mr MacDonald suggests is that no Power which has signed the Kellogg Pact could possibly have any amicable dealings with belligerents; and this, by implication, would seem to exclude the possibility of trading with belligerents in any shape or form. But seemingly what the Americans mean by the “freedom of the seas” is precisely the right and the power to trade in any way they please with any State or nil States in war or peace. However, Air Borah has apparently taken Mr MacDonald's argument about the extinction of neutrality very much to heart, and has expressed himself acordingl.v. The New York “Times” and the “Herald-Tribune,” two of the ablest and host informed American journals, have taken him rather severely to task, and have deprecated anv public criticism of the British White Paper on the rather inadequate ground that Air MacDonald’s remarks were not addressed to Americans This is all very well as a matter of international courtesy. But the question still stands—does the Kellogg Pact mean that all the shmatorv Powers intend to treat a belligerent ns an enemy, and if so. how do they intend to express their feelingsH And there is another question, equally pertinent to the discussion—do the Americans rgallv mean to maintain their alleged right to trade with all nations in war time without 1 st rict ion. l>y building huge navies, and if neeossarv using I hem? So far as is known, neither of those queries lias yet been answered satisfactorily. As the date fixed for the Naval Conference approaches, special interest and importance attaches to anv indication given by the Powers of their i ii I on I ions in regard to disarmament. Decently the prospects of anything like unanimity have been to some extent clouded by healed arguments between Italy and France. A month

ago Italy was insisting ernpliatically j tout under no ci re urn stances would I she be content with a smaller navy I tuan 1 ranee; ami France, on the other lmud, pointed to tier, widespread tolj omul empire .uitl tallied fluently about ' the need of ocean-going cruisers. Now a statement lias teen circulated by the i.tomo coirespondent of the “limes'' to toe elfeet tliut tiie Italian Government “has decided to associate. itself with the Britisn and American Governments in their advocacy of the auoiition ol suhmarines.” This is good news in one sense; lor if Britain, tiie bulled States ■and Italy can be induced to cu-ojioi ace oil tiise lines the most dangerous ami initniteiy the most wiciied development of modern warfare might soon he a tiling of the [last. Hut it is well-Unown that Trance attaches exceptional importance to the submarine, as the oiiiy effective defence for her coasts. “Not for a moment, and not tor any consideration, could we agree to the abolition of the submarine,'' said a distinguished naval export recently in the Chamber of Deputies; and uniter the circumstances one may justifiably wonder if Italy’s sudden conversion to the Anglo-Ameri-can standpoint may not be due at least in part to a desire to embarass France and place her in a, difficult and invidious position at tiie coming Naval Conicrence.