Where Does France Stand?

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 914, 6 March 1930, Page 11

Where Does France Stand?

QUESTION AT CONFERENCE May Insist on Demands United P.A.—By Telegraph—Copyright Received Xoon. LONDON. Wednesday. REVIVED interest in the Naval Conference largely centres about the agitation in America over the breakdown of the Senatorial objection to a consultative agreement as an addendum to the Ivellogg Pact.

It is expected that M. Tardieu, over the week-end, will not be slow to press with renewed vigour France’s original declaration that a reduction of her demands is impossible until there is some measure of security in the Mediterranean. British quarters are silent regarding this aspect, but do not .conceal their expectation that next week’s discussions will be closely related to the new turn of opinion in America toward the much-discussed solution of the tonnage impasse. DELEGATES MEET At a meeting of the heads of the delegations on Tuesday the experts’ report was available, reports a British Official Wireless message. It embodied a scheme for establishing a series of categories of ships. The scheme is regarded as a compromise between the British proposal to limit tonnage by categories and the French proposal that there should he limitation by global tonnage, allowing freedom for apportionment as between the different classes of ships. The experts recommend as the main categories, battleships, airplane-car-riers, cruisers mounting guns of more than Bin calibre, cruisers with guns of Bin or less, destroyers and submarines. In the case of France and Italy they recommend that the classes of light cruisers and destroyers shall be reckoned as a single category. GOOD PROGRESS MADE The experts’ report on vessels exempt from inclusion in any category has also been completed, and they have made good progress in their examination of questions in regard to special ships. Certain questions of principle, however, have been reserved for decision by the heads of the delegations. The problem of determining upon the measures to be taken to carry out the unanimous desire of all the delegates to humanise the operations of the submarine in war is still under consideration. Certain questions in connection with the problem were considered yesterday by the British Commonwealth delegations. HAND OF FRIENDSHIP GREETINGS FROM FRANCE TO CONFERENCE M. TARDIEU'S MESSAGE British Official Wireless Reed. Noon. RUGBY, Wednesday. M. Tardieu, French Premier, has addressed the following telegram to Mr. Ramsay MacDonald: “On reassuming the leadership of

the French Government, I desire to express to you my cordial good wishes, as also to our colleagues of the American, British, Italian and Japauese delegations, and I assure you of the pleasure I shall feel in again participating in our joint efforts for the success of the conference.” Mr. MacDonald replied:—“ln the name of all our colleagues I send you our warmest greetings and thanks for your telegram. We look forward with pleasure to the renewal of our collaboration with you in the work of the conference. Before you cross the Channel I extend to you the hand of friendship.” FATE OF SUBMARINES CONSIDERATION BY EXPERT SUB.COMMITTEE TOTAL ABOLITION DISCUSSED British Official Wireless Reed. Noon. RUGBY, Wednesday. The Expert Sub-committee at the Naval Conference is today devoting its attention to submarines, and acting on the instructions of the last plenary session of the conference, will discuss questions relating to the possibility of their total abolition; humanising their use in warfare; limitation of tlieir category tonnage and the limitation of the size of submarines. The legal experts have already taken up the question of humanisation and are considering it in relation to the so-called Root Aesolution passed at the Washington Conference. The experts are expected to begin by considering the question of the size of individual craft. At the Three-Power Conference in Geneva in 1927, the British delegation proposed that, failing acceptance of total abolition, there would be tonnage limits of 1,600 tons for large submarines and 600 tons for small submarines, the maximum gun calibre to be fixed. Figures similar to those are likely to be taken as the basis of discussion, although 1,700 tons may be taken as the maximum figure in order to facilitate the agreement, since Japan has 12 submarines built or building, each of 1,650 tons. Of submarines of all classes, America has 128; France, 99 Japan, 71; British Empire, 66; and Italy, 57 built, building or projected.