AVERTING THE NEXT WAR.

Shannon News, 13 December 1921, Page 4

AVERTING THE NEXT WAR.

PACIFIC PACT COMPLETED. Washington, December 10. Following is the text of the FourPower Treaty:— ■ The United States, the British Empire, France and Japan, with a view to the preservation of general peace and the maintenance of rights in relation to insular possessions and insular Dominions in the region of the Pacific Ocean, have determined to conclude a Treaty to this effect. They have appointed as their plenipotentiaries the President of the United States, His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom, Great Britain, Ireland and the'British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of mdia and (names to be suppliedJ'Tor the Dominion of Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of New Zealand and India, the President of the French Republic, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, who having communicated their full powers, and . hese having been found good and tn true form, have agreed as follows: — Clause I.—The high contracting parties agree as between themselves to respect all rights in elation to their insular possessions and insular dominions in the region ?>f .he Pacific Ocean. If there should develop between any of the high contracting parties a controversy arising out of any Pacific question involving the saifTrights which is not satisfactorily settled by diplomacy, and is likely to .affect the harmonious accord now happily subsisting

between them, they shall invite the other high \ contracting "parties to a joint conference to which -the whole subject shall be referred for consideration and adjustment. Clause ll.—lf the said rights are threatened by the aggressive action of any other Power, the high contracting parties shall communicate with one another fully and framiiy in order to arrive at an understanding as to the most effective means to be taken, jointly or separately, to meet the exigencies of particular situation. Clause lll.—This agreement Will remain in force for ten years alter it takes effect, and after die expiration of the said period it -hall continue in force, subject to ihe light of any of the high contracting Powers to terminate it upon twelve months’ ! notice. i Clause IV.—This agreement shall ; be ratified as soon as nossible in accordance with the constitutional methods of the high contracting ! parties. It shall take effect on the j deposit of the ratifications, which shall take place in Washington, and thereupon the agreement between Great Britain and Japan, which was ! concluded in London on yuly 13, 1921,5ha1l terminate. JAPANESE ALLIANCE ABROGATED. : DROPPED. Washington, December 10. Official. Chinese-Japanese delegations discussed the question of the saltfields and the TsingsaoVlhinan railway to-day. Considerable progress was made towards an understanding. . Sir John Salmond (N.Z.) associated himself with Senator Pearce (Australia) in expressing gratitude 'o Mr-llaf four., He was satisfied the irevisions of the treaty represented the oaly satisfactory method of overcoming the difficulties involved in the -x is fence of the Anglo-Japanese treaty, which had outlived the conditions vhereto it owed its origin and had become a source of some suspicion and misunderstanding, yet could not properly be i abandoned without providing an efficient substitute. The Australasian Dominions should be satisfied that the Alliance, instead of being destroyed, had been merged into a more comprehensive contract of harmony and goodwill among the nations with interests in the Pacific. The treaty was a solemn pledge tha,t these Powers intend, in all loyal fidelity, to solve by peaceful methods international problems in the Pacific. The reserved questions regarding mandated territories were of quite subordinate importance and no difficulties were apparent therein in so far as Australia and New Zealand were concerned, jSL',.. • . SL'V. - ■ t .X l