NAVAL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 14 March 1930, Page 5

NAVAL CONFERENCE

FRENCH PREMIER'S ATTITUDE

[United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.]

(Received this day at 10 a.m.) LONDON, March 13. Commentators on the Naval Conference doubt if 11. Tardieu (French Premier) will feel safe enough hr his Premiership to risk any heroic proposal in order to out down the French naval demands. A large majority of •■ne French Chamber is opposed to any reduction without further guarantee.

Tardieu has suffered several defeats in minor points, and observers regard his original majority of fifty as a

criterion of the real Parliamentary sit nation in France.

DESPERATE EFFORTS

TO SAVE CONFERENCE,

LONDON, March 13

Justification for the belief that desperate efforts are being made to save the Conference, rests in the sudden change in the day’s plans. Mr MacDonald will have a separate interview with M. Grandi and M. Briand instead of meeting the heads of delegations. M. Briand’s plea yesterday that Italy should be pressed to come out in the open rather disturbed a meeting of the Big Three.

There was also a belated lament that Italy and France had not been brought together before the Conference to find a formula for the Mediterranean balance.

High placed officials decline to accept the position as hopeless. It is now suggested there might be a Five Power agreement embodying a capital ship holiday. The Conference might also agree on a basis for computing global and categorical tonnages on which the 1927 Geneva Conference crashed.

DOMINION DELEGATES MEET

LONDON, March 13

Messrs Fenton and Wflford attended a meeting of the Dominion delegations to discuss the position raised by the French suggestion to .transler the reduction issue to Geneva. The Dominions. will probably contend nothing is likely to be gained by a postponement.

AMERICAN VIEWS

,\ (Received this day- at 11 a.m.) WASHINGTON, March 13

The London’ ConferemiJ development has caused pessimism here, where a fear that the efforts towards a limitation were in serious danger, had been replaced by a recent confidence of fair success. The administration recognised that failure at the present point might be blamed upon America, but it is felt United States has been caught between the desire to plabate the French by, joining the consultative pact, and the fear of running into trouble with the Senate by entering such an agreement, which provides an opening for United States entanglement, with a moral obligation to aid France in the event of the fleet being inadequate/, in the lace of a future enemy.

It is known Mr Stimson wishes the extension of the Kellogg Pact to pro•vide consultative machinery in event of a dispute likely to lead to war. However, he does not wish to link this with the bargain, whereby France cuts the naval programme. ,■ j There has been a serious question whether Frence will be satisfied with a purely consultative “talk” pact. M. Tardieu and M. Briand are* ielt to have been asking for “security” pacts, which pledge the other signatories to action. Beyond mere consultation United. States never had the slightest intention of participating. in such an arrangement.

* FRENCH VIEW

(Received this day at 12 noon). LONDON, March 18

There is no gainsaying that M. Briand is perturbed at the prospect of the isolation of France and shortcircuiting of his policy, which was expressed at Locarno and Kellogg Pacts, so he may strive to get something from which the Geneva commission may make a fresh beginning. It is not uncharitable to suggest that France from the beginning had an eye on Geneva, where she thinks her prestige is more centred.

EFFORTS TO OVERCOME DIFFICULTIES.

(Received this dnv at 11 a.m.) RUGBY, March 13. Determined efforts have been made to-day to overcome the difficulties which had brought the Naval Conference to an apparent impasse. These /efforts have been mainly in the course of private conversations which Mr MacDonald has had at No. 10 Downing Street, with cacti of the other chief delegates in turn. He satv Wakatsuki this morning .and Mr Stimson to-night, but particular interest attaches to the conversations he had this afternoon, first with M. Crandi and afterwards with M.. Briand who remained for nearly two hours.

The effect of these conversations is authoritatively described as encouraging. Difficulties , still exist and are considerable but the deadlock is by no means complete. Hu addition to private conversations already mentioned, Air StimSOll and M. Briand bad a long talk this morning, while M. Pietri (French

Colonial! Minister) tailed on VI. Grandi. $ Importance is attached to the impending arrival of the French Prim«, Minister, M. Tardieu, who is expected in London on Friday night or Saturday morning. It is generally felt in Conference circles that the crux of the difficulties which are placing the major issues of the Conference in doubt, lies in Franco-ftalian relations. Italy claims a parity with France anu France in arguing that she possesses throe seaboards, considers that tlie claim is unjustified. High French figures are in main a reflection of this state of mind, and in turn may affect the naval requirements of Great Britain, with whom United States desire a parity. It is therefore assumed that the purpose of to-day’s conversations of the Prune Minister with Signor Graiidi and Al. Briand was so to use the situation that a substantial scaling down of French figures can be ef-

fected . Conversations arc likely to be continued to-morrow and alter M. Tartlieu’s arrival for it is felt that the Conference was to-night further removed from a deadlock than it vas this morning. M. Briand, who saw a press representative this evening, said lie was not going back to Franco until the end of the week. He was still confident the Conference could come to definite results in the general interests of peace.