NAVALCONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1930, Page 5

NAVALCONFERENCE

MR STIMSON ARRIVES

[United Press Association—By Electric

Telegraph.—Copyright.]

LONDON, Jan. 17

•Thanks for welcoming the pilgrim back to Plymouth. We come full of high hopes and earnest endeavour to make the conference a success, was all Mr Stimson had to say on arrival at dawn from America.

There will be no ceremonial at the opening of the Naval Conference on Tuesday. His Majesty enters at 11 in the forenoon and immediately delivers the opening speech. Then there will be a speech by Mr MacDonald and other leaders.

The session is expected to end a one o’clock.

U.S. DELEGATION

LONDON, Jan. 18

Seventeen of America’s latest fashions have arrived in Britain with the American Naval Delegation, and they are getting even greater publicity than the other ninety odd members of the party, several of whom characteristically claim descent from the original Mayfair passengers. ' It is revealed that the delegation’s ship “George Washington,’’ carried its own beer-brewing plant, until the publicity given to the fact caused the Washington State Department to wireless: “‘Throw brewery overboard!” This they did. ' Seven of the “Clurks,” aa the .girls describe themselves, belong to the U.S.A. State Department and ten of them to the Navy Department. “There was an awful scramble for ■this job,” they explained. “Hundreds and hundreds applied. We are thrilled to death!”

It is stated that the whole delegation have pooled their resources, amounting to forty thousand sterling. The living expenses of the party at the Ritz Hotel and the Mayfair Hotel are estimated at £IOOO a day.

SCENES OF THE CONFERENCE

an IMPRESSIVE CHAMBER

LONDON, Jan. 18

Less- than one seventh of the space in the Royal Gallery at the House of Lords will be occupied by the delegateS’ horse-shoe table at the opening of Tuesday’s Naval Conference. The remainder will be crammed tight to accommodate the 380 journalists attending from all parts of the world. There is no room to supply tables for them, so that they will have y write 1 on their knees. It is a magnificent scene with the gallery’s goldknotted scarlet panels, gilded prizes,, and imposing paintings, in which there is a striking contrast between aii epic martial event of history and the present world attempt t.o escape from themore fearsome modern methods of destruction. Thus the delegates will sit, immediately beneath a huge mural canvas of Nelson’s death at the battle of Trafalgar. Facing them w : H be another, “The Battle of Waterloo” It will be a wonderful occasion, to which the whole world will be listeners if the atmospherics behave tliemaelves. '

THE PROGRAMME.

CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES

, (Received this day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 20

The first effective work of the Naval Conference will be done on Monday morning when the heads of the delegations meet to settle the procedure for postponing a session. The “Observer’s’’ writer gets out the main controversial issues. First— France and Japan are rigidly opposed to the Anglo-American demand for the abolition of the submarine.

Secondly—Japan is likely to soften her opposition to the abolition of submarines to an extent, if the British .Empire and the United States will do the same to Japan’s claim for a 10/10/7 ratio, instead of a 5/4/3 ratio for cruiser's.

• Thirdly—Should Italy’s demand for a parity with France be discontinued, there is.a rumour that Grandi contemplates an early gesture similar to M. Eitvinoff’s at Geneva in favour of the total abolition of navies. It is considered that Italy may ultimately make such a demand if a parity v w itli France is unobtainable by other

means. , M. Briand has arrived in London. He expressed the opinion that the Conference was facing a difficult p r ■' Idem, stating: “There will be as much to do outside, as inside the Conference room. lam hoping to return to Pa-is within a few days after the appointment of expert committees. Thereafter M. Tardieu and I shall alternate between London and Paris. AMERICAN PROPOSALS. (Received this day at 9.40 a.m.) NEW YORK, "January 17. The “Herald Tribune’s” Washington co-respondent states in an, advance announcement of the formal policy by the American delegation at London .t n learned officially to-day that United States, is prepared not only to declare a five years battleships holiday, but scrap permanently eleven ■capital ships which would become obsolete at the end of the holiday. It can be announced with the same high authority that as an alternative to drastic reduction of battleship fleets, United States is prepared to reeom-