NAVAL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 7 February 1930, Page 5

NAVAL CONFERENCE

PROGRESS OF DISCUSSIONS

(British Official Wireless)

(Received this day at 11 a.m.) RUGBY, February 6

Progress was made to-day. tow aids resolving one of the most difficult pioblems wherewith the London Naval Conference is laced, namely the reconciling of naval methods for limitation of naval armaments.

At the outset of the Conference the French favoured the limitation by a system of global tonnage and British advocated limitation by categories of slxiiis, which was the basis of progress made at the Three Power Naval Conference at Geneva in 1927. As a contirbution to a settlement of the differences, the French delegation last week advanced a compromise proposal and after it had been examined, the British put forward a plan for coordinating category and global theories, retaining with limits certain features of the French transfer proposals.

Following Tuesday’s discussion of these proposals there have been further consultation between! delegations and a meeting of the first committee was held this afternoon in ■ which the position was again reviewed. It is understood the idea now being followed is to work towards a final agreement, which would lay down global tonnage, but at the same time embody in it a table in which each power, after discussions between delegations, would have allocated its global tonnage between categories.

A communique issued to-night states the committee examined the possibility of recognising two methods of limitation and proceeds,— “subject to renewal by Italian delegation of its general reservation regarding the necessity for prior determination of questions of rates and total tonnage, substantial progress was made an the committee then entered on a discussion of classification to lie adopted on various types of warships. On this object also, good progress was made. A committee of experts was set up to.draft resolution for consideration at a later meeting of the committee and for examination of certain technical questions.