GENEVA CONFERENCE FAILS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 115, 5 August 1927, Page 13

GENEVA CONFERENCE FAILS

LIMITATION OF NAVIES INSOLUBLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NATIONS THE Three Power Naval Limitation Conference at Geneva has failed. The delegates held a plenary session yesterday afternoon, each side presented its case, and the differences being plainly insoluble, the conference broke up, with a common declaration of friendship and goodwill.

By Cable. —Press Association.—Copyright Reed. 0.-iu a.m. GENEVA, Thursday. THE plenary session of the Naval Limitation Conference was held this afternoon. After a restatement bv each side of its case, Mr. Hugh Gibson -(United States) announced that they were unable to agree, and the conference broke up. A joint statement issued mentions all the points upon which agreement was reached and failed. This shows that the three Powers agreed to adjourn the present conference until an opportune time to resume work. Meantime, they will continue the study which was opened in Geneva. The statement concludes with a common declaration of friendship and mutual understanding between the three Powers, as at the opening of the conference. The statement adds: "Difficulties experienced in dealing with the cruiser class prove this problem to be such as to render an adjournment desirable until the Governments have an opportunity of giving further consideration to the question, and to the various methods suggested for its solution.” The conference closed iu a most friendly atmosphere, after a few complimentary words by the Right Hon. W. C. Bridgeman (Great Britain), and Admiral Saito (Japan), in favour of Mr. Gibson, who returned thanks. Mr. Bridgeman, in a statement, emphasised that he was speaking on behalf of the Governments of Britain, India, and the Dominions, and said he was glad the conference was able to agree as regards the guns to be borne by destroyers and submarines; but regarding tonnage, he said that the tonnage agreed to in each case exceeded the British figures. Referring to the cruiser problem, Mr. Bridgeman said that although the British explained why they wanted a number of small cruisers, they failed to understand the reasons for the American delegation demanding so many large cruisers, or so many armed with eight-inch guns. Japan’s proposal was finally rejected, the experts pointing out that a limitation conference could not accept a plan mentioning neither tonnage nor gun calibre.—A. and N.Z.-Sun.