NAVAL AGREEMENT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 297, 1 October 1928, Page 5

NAVAL AGREEMENT

POSITION OF BRITAIN. MR MACDONALD’S DEMANDS. PROPOSALS FOR DISARMAMENT. (Received This Day, 12.55 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 30. Mr J. Ramsay MacDonald, speakinlg at Birmingham, demanded that Mr Baldwin officially publish both the French and British correspondence regarding the naval agreement, comprising the preceding negotions, and that Government must also act vigorously at the next meeting of the Disarmament Preparatory Committee, making positive proposals to the Disarmament Conference as quickly as possible.

MR W. R. HEARST’S VIEW. NEfED FOR. SUBMARINES. (Received This Day, 1.40 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 30v Mr William Randolph Hearst (the American newspaper proprietor), before his departure for America, made a statement to effect that the secrecy of Anglo-French compromise had aroused suspicion in the United States, which had ■ always been averse to secret diplomacy, the elimination of which was one of the reasons for America’s entiy into the war. It was perfectly natural that the United States should expect a compact including her to consider her interests, but the disposition of the United States to limit or abolish the submarine was incomprehensible from the viewpoint of American welfare, because although she granted merely defensive armaments nothing was more important considering her extensive coastline than the submarine.

“Jf in addition to an extensive ail' force, which we should have actually, must have, and will have, we had an. extensive submarine fleet, the United States would be practically immune from successful attack, even if our Army and Navy were not comparable with those of other nations. Americans’ objection to the submarine is purely sentimental, due to the horror of war, aggravated by a method with which they are not yet familiar. Nevertheless Americans must realise that while exercising every effort to prevent, war they must be prepared to make the country invincible.”—Australian Press Association, and United Service.

GERMAN PRESS COMMENT. (Received This Day, 9.20 a.m.) BERLIN, September 30. The political papers are keenly interested in the American Note, which they believe may lead to a new conference on naval disarmament. The “Berliner Tageblatt” says the United States built a golden bridge for England. The Conservatives should be glad to be let off so easily in view of the forthcoming General Election. —■ Australian Press Association.