NAVAL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 3 April 1930, Page 5

NAVAL CONFERENCE

JAPANESE REPLY. (Official Wireless.) (Received this day at noon.) RUGBY, April 2. Tlie plenary session of tlie Naval Conference arranged for Friday lias been postponed, in order to permit of a continuance of the Anglo-French conversations. which have been proceeding for the past few days. A further meeting between Mr Henderson and M. Hriaiid was held this afternoon and it is understood the conconversations resume to-morrow. Their purpose is to discover, if possible, a formula, which while not extending Britain’s liabilities beyond existing commitments under llie League Govertimet and Locarno Treaty would increase France’s sense of security, thereby enabling her to reduce her stated requirements in naval armaments.

The Foreign Ministers have had before them several draft formula but an investigation of the subject is still incomplete. As constant consultations between Briaml and his colleagues in Paris are involved, some days will probably elapse before the present conversation is completed. The decision to postpone tlie plenary session was made at a meeting of heads of delegations this afternoon it was

preceded by a meeting of the chief delegates of British, United States, and Japan, at which Wakotuki handed to his colleagues the reply of the Japanese Government to the proposals which, as a result of United States and Japanese discussion and with full British approval, were forwarded to Tokio some time ago.

A communique issued at tlie close of the full meeting states Wakatsuki announced tlie Japanese delegation had now received a reply on tlie compromise proposals. The reply states that the Japanese Government is desirous of co-operating to the full in prompting tiie Conference’s success and recommend the acceptance of proposals with certain reservations, which have stili to be discussed in detail. The Chairman -bated that the head of the American delegation and himself had an opportunity of expressing their deep appreciation of tlie spirit an! substance of this reply. A comprehensive report of the sec-retary-general of the Conference on various questions of method and detail still outstanding, was examined.