COUNCIL OF NATIONS.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1921, Page 5

COUNCIL OF NATIONS.

YAP CONVENTION COMPLETE. OTHER IMPORTANT MATTERS. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright Washington, Dec. 12. The completion of the Yap convention makes possible the signing of the quadruple treaty concerning the Pacific, which eventuates to-morrow morning. All seven British delegates will sign. The naval expert committee, having completed its functions, has seen dissolved. Another committee has been formed, consisting of the heads of the British, United States, Japanese. French and Italian delegations, with one civilian and one expert each, the object being to secure direct contact between experts and the committees. Mr. Balfour, Lord Lee, and Actm>ral Chatfield are the British representatives.

M. Viviani’s departure seems to indicate that French naval questions are either settled or postponed for further consideration in Europe, most probably the former. A possibility is mentioned to-night of a cable convention being signed dealing with the ex-German cables m the Atlantic and Pacific, perhaps not at this Conference, but soon. The convention will be quintuple, Britain, the United States, Japan. France and Italy. Holland gets the cable from Yap to Menado, and Japan from Yap to Shanghai, which was diverted during the war to the Japanese coast. It is also probable that a convention will be signed shortly between Britain and. the United States covering the mandated islands south of the Equator, so that the provisions of the Yap convention have special interest to Australians, inasmuch as it may be expected the United States will ask that similar rights and privileges shall ,be accorded to her in those islands as in the case of Yap.