ARMAMENT PROBLEM.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1921, Page 5

ARMAMENT PROBLEM.

POLICY OF JAPAN. DISAGREEMENT REPORTED. MILITARISTIC element. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyrigtt. Washington, Oct. 20. Count Kato, of the Japanese delegation, .has made a statement. He said he wanted to correct a misunderstanding regarding Japan's naval plans. Japan was not rushing vessels to completion; on the contrary Japan was far behind the programme of her naval construction. Her position financially would not permit her to expend large sums on naval armaments, but these must be made, no matter how the Washington Conference decided. Tokio, Oct. 19. I’ is reported that the army leaders in Japan refuse to concede any point towards limitations and refuse to agree to the abandonment of the projected Pacific fortifications in exchange for the American abandonment of the projected Guam and other fortifications. They further refuse to agree to the discussion of the abandonment or modification of conscription. The navy leaders agree to naval limitations through international agreement. The Foreign Office is anxious for the success of armament limitation, but has reached a deadlock with the army. Prior to the departure of the delegates for Washington there was a series of heated discussions at which the army faced the navy and the Foreign Office, with the result that the delegation includes no army delegate, but one will be named later, provided the army recedes from its stand. The demands on the Treasury for the army and navy are such that the education'fund is being cut down, resulting in strong popular opposition, coupled with a demand that the armament plans be curtailed. M. Hara is between the army and the people, and is attempting to reason the former into an agreement. It is predicted in some quarters that M. Hara will eventually take his political life in his hands and defy the army to fight the issue out.—Reuter. STATUS OF DOMINIONS. THEIR POSITION AT WASHINGTON. AMERICA’S NON-P ECOGNITION. Capetown, Oct. 20. Speaking at the banquet tendered him by the Pretoria Chamber of Commerce. General Smuts said that if Australian and New Zealand representatives attended the Washington Conference without direct invitations a serious setback would be given to the Dominion status. The whole world had recognised the Dominions as*bquals. except America. If Africa appeared at the international conference it would be in her own right, not under cover of the British Government right. He did not know whether Canada. New Zealand and Australia had received invitations, but he gathered from the reported statements of the Australian Premier that they had not. America alone raised the question of the new status by the Dominions by objecting to the independent voting power in the League of Nations of the Dominions. If representatives of the Dominions attended the conference without invitation as part of the British delegation and not in their own right a very bad precedent would be set. The American challenge to the Dominion status should be met in the proper spirit. Commenting on General Smuts’ protest against the Americans’ failure to invite the Dominions to the Washington Conference, the Cape Argus says: “It is unfortunate that America should apparently regard the new status as a dodge to secure over-representation of the British Empire, but there is little doubt that before long America will fall into line with the rest of the world." PEACE IN FAR EAST. CO-OPERATION OF BRITAIN. London, Oct. 20. Mr. Lloyd George, on being asked in the House of Commons if he would give an assurance of British eo-operation with the United States at the Washington Conference in favor of stabilising conditions in the Far East, announced that he would certainly do his utmost and co-operate with all the Powers concerned to s cure fair play for all nations and peace in the Far East.