DISARMAMENT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 354, 15 October 1932, Page 5

DISARMAMENT

(British Official Wireless)..

FR1ENBLY TALKS CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN FiRANCE AN1> GREAT BRITAIN DOWNXNG STREET MEETING

Rugby» October 13. The Anglo-Prench conversations on the disarmament problem occupr ied several hours. They tpok plaee at Downing Street and will be resumed to-morrow. Mr. MacDonald and M. Herriot spent an hour together alone, after which they were joined by Sir John Simon and the Freneh Ambassador, M. de Fleuriau. An interim communique issued descrjbed the conversations as informal and related to "the difficulties that have arisen as regards further progress in disarmament." , The conversations were resumed later in the afternoon and lasted two hours. It was announced that these had been marlced by a very friendly spirit, and would be continued at 10 o'clock to-morrow, after which a fullcommunique will be issued. M. Herriot intends to leave London to-mor-row afternoon at 4 o'clock. To-night Sir John Simon gave a dinner party at Claridge's in honour of the French Prime Minister. Mr. MacDonald was among those present. ii is understood that nothing occurred to-day to affect the proposal put forward by the British Government and accepted in principle by

France, Germany and Italy that a Four-Power Conference be held in the near future. The purpose of today's meeting was in no sense to negotiate, but merely to allow a frank exchange of ideas as to the methods of removing the obstacles which have impeded general disarmament negotiations. There is no desire or intention to do the work which should properly be done by the League or which the Disarmament Conference is undertaking. The purpose of the Prime Ministers is rather to assist the Disarmament Conference to go on funetioning. Today's conversations were guided solely by that purpose.