“JUST CAUTIOUS TALKS”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 766, 12 September 1929, Page 9

“JUST CAUTIOUS TALKS”

MACDONALD ON NAVAL NEGOTIATIONS BUT OPTIMISM UNDIMMED British Official Wireless Reed. 10.50 a.m. RUGBY, Wed. Referring to the Anglo-American naval discussions iu a speech at Durham last evening, the Prime Minister said he did not think they could exactly call those conversations negotiations. They were cautious talks. Like sensible people, they had said to each other, “Let us see -why those negotiations we had fallen into hitherto have failed. If we can discover why they have failed, can we discover P way out, so that there will be no longer failure, but success and agreement?” That was what they were doing. He was optimistic, as he had always been. His optimism did not arrive from the fact that they had met with no difficulties, because they had; but the volume of world opinion was so strong that he did not believe they would fail. He did not believe that any of the difficulties of the situation was going to beat men of goodwill and sincere purpose. “We are making no alliances with America,” he continued. “That ought to be clearly stated. America is much too wise to* make alliances with any European Power, unless the alliance is in the form of an agreement to use moral influences and establish peace. T will be optimistic until the end. which is certainly not in sight, or until failure compels us to say that the problem is insoluble.”