DISARMAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1921, Page 5

DISARMAMENT.

WORLD PEACE DREAM. MEETINGS OF THE POWERS. V.S. PRESIDENT S PROPOSALS. By Telegraph.—-Press Aaan—Copyright. Received June 21, 10.45 p.m, London, June 20. The Times’ Washington correspondent deals fully with the broader aspects of the attitude of the Harding Administration toward the limitation of armaments. He says, firstly, that it is not believed that the present moment is propitious for a conference of all Powers to discuss disarmament, because the conference could not be completely representative. owing to the political indecision in many countries, especially European; secondly, the British Empire, America, and Japan have a virtual monopoly of naval power, thus making an arrangement between them theoretically possible, and also desirable in the interests of world peace; thirdly, the Harding Administration favors an agreement on naval limitation by these three Powers; fourthly, a formal conference should not be called until an agreement is assured previously by informal conversations aiming at the discovery of acceptable formula. A fifth aspect may be added, namely that the administration hopes the Imperial Conference will help to create a situation in which informal conversations may proefeed with a fair hope of success. President Harding and his advisers are convinced that a conference would certainly reach a deadlock unless every conceivable difficulty was smoothed in advance. Each country would find it practically impossible to recede from the position once taken up without risk of causing a domestic outcry. If a general conference of world Powers failed it would only cause disappointment, whereas if the British Empire, America and Japan overtly tried to find a common basis and failed, it would carry certain implications of policy and national intentions which would strain relations dangerously and do infinite harm. When America accepts a conference Restricted to certain Powers we may be sure a basis of agreement has already been found, hence the importance of applying financial formula to naval strength, but in the highest quarters intimate with the Administration’s feelers it produced little apparent result. Britain’s readiness to confer. even informally, was not expected until the Imperial Conference had an opportunity to discuss the broad line® of the Empire's naval policy.—Times Service.