APPARENT IMPASSE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 50, Issue 130, 14 March 1930, Page 5

APPARENT IMPASSE

NAVAL CONFERENCE. ■ I FRANCO-ITALIAN RELATIONS. THE QUESTIpN OF PARITY. EFFORTS TO REMOVE DANGER. (United Press Association—Copyright.) (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m. LONDON, March 13. Determined efforts have been made' to-day to overcome difficulties which had brought the Naval Conference to an apparent impasse. These efforts have been mainly in the course of private conversations which Mr MacDonald has had at No. 10 Downing Street with each of the other chief delegates in turn. He saw Mr Wakatsuki (Japan) this morning and Mr Stimson to-night, but particular interest attaches to the conversations he had this afternoon, first with Signor Grandi and afterwards with M. Briand, who remained nearly two hours. The effect of these conversations is authoritatively described as encouraging. Difficulties still exist and are considerable, hut the deadlock is by no means complete. Ih addition to the private conversations already mentioned, Mr Stimson and M. Briand bad a long talk this morning, while M. Pietri (French. Colonial Minister) called on Signor Grandi. Importance is attached to the impending arrival of the French Prime Minister (M. Tardieu), who is expected in London to-morrow night or Saturday morning. It is generally felt in Conference circles that the crux of the difficulties which are placing the major issues of the Conference in doubt lies in Franco- • Italian relations. Italy claims parity with France, and France,, arguing that she possesses three seaboards, considers that claim unjustified. The high French figures are in the mean a reflection of this state of mind, and in turn may affect the naval requirements of Great'Britain, with whom the United - States desires parity. It therefore is assumed that the purpose of conversations to-day between the Prime Minister, Signor' Grandi and M. Briand, was so to use the situation that a substantial scaling-down of the French figures can be effected. The conversations are likely to be continued tomorrow and after M. Tardieu's arrival, for it is felt that the Conference was to-night further removed from.a deadlock than it was this morning. / M. Briand, who saw Press representatives this evening, said he was not going back to France until the end of the week. He was still confident the Conference could come to definite results 'in the general interests of peaee-

M BRIAND PERTURBED. A LIKING FOR GENEVA. (Received This Day, 11.55 a.m.) LONDON, March 23. There is no gainsaying that M. Briand is perturbed at the prospect of the isolation of France and the shortcircuiting of his policy expressed at Locarno and in the Kellogg Pacts, so he may strike to get. something from which the Geneva Commission may make a fresh beginning. It is not uncharitable to suggest that France, from the beginning, had an eye on Geneva, where she thinks her prestige is more centred.

POSITION NOT HOPELESS. CAPITAL SHIP "HOLIDAY/' ■"" — *"" > (Received This Day, 10.55 a.m. s LONDON, Marst 13. Justification for the belief that desperate efforts are being made to save the Naval Conference rests in the sudden change in the day's plans. Mr MacDonald will have separate interviews with Signer Grandi ■ and M. Briand, instead of meeting the heads of delegations. M. Briand's plea yesterday that Italy should be pressed to come but in. the open rather disturbed the meeting of the Big Three. There was also a belated lament that Italy and France had not been brought together before the Conference to find a formula for Mediterranean balance. High-placed officials decline to accept the position as hopeless. It is suggested that there might be a Five-Power agreement embodving a "holiday" regarding capital ships. The Conference might also agree on a basis tor computing global and categorical tonnages, on which the Geneva Conference in 1927 crashed.

THE TONNAGE FIGURES. LENGTHY EXCHANGE OF VIEWS. LONDON, March 12. After they had Received! a satisfactory report from Mr A. V. Alexander (First Lord of the Admiralty) upon progress made with technical subjects v handled by the First Committee, of which he is chairman, the heads of delegations at a meeting last night had a lengthy exchange of views on the - position of the Conference They are to meet again to-morrow night., and meanwhile, in addition) to continuance of committee work, private eonversa*tions .between the delegates are to be held-in the hope of mitigating some of the obstructive problems delaying progress on major issues. Already these issues are becoming more clearly defined. " . , . The position of the American delegation upon France's desire for turther political guarantees is now specifically made known. The delegation is agreed that it cannot assist in- any proposal for a political pact, and its decision has been conveyed to M. n^- " and. This rules out a consultative pact quite as much as a Mediterranean Locarno. The idea of a consultative pact was mooted by America, but it was made clear athat it was merely put forward as a basis of discussion -without any guarantee that it could be accepted by America. Hofces are entertained in Conterence circles that a conversation which M. Briand (France) and Signer Grandi (Italv) had vesterdav will be continued and will produce results. Italy throughout has taken the logical view that Inaval strengths must be considered as relative and she is willing to fix her tonnage in relation to that of other JCfon%inertital Powers. A satisfactory understanding between Italy and France, enabling a really substantial

modification of France's tonnage figures, would thus obviously ease the whole situation. In such eventuality it-is generally felt, agreement on the British, American and Japanese figures might ensue almost automatically. Examination of tonnage figures m jthe French memtorandium submittect to ihe Conference was further proceeded with to-day by the Frist Lord of the Admiralty and the French Minister of Marine (M. Dumesml), who were accompanied by experts and attended by American observers. Ihey took their task early this morning at the point where it was left oft at 11 o'clock last night, at their long meetat the House of Commons lhe meeting to-day concluded just before luncheon, when the matters before them were referred to the leaders of the British French and American delegations, who met this afternoon at the House of Commons. . The earlier examination of • tne French figures, as has already been stated, was devoted to clarifying their exact meaning in order to ensure that they were compiled on a strictly comparable basis. Common agreement on this matter having been reached a more detailed survey of the French figures became possible. Frances tonnage tables were therefore presented iacollated and simplified form when the heads and members of their delegations met to consider them this afternoon. Those present included Messrs MatjDonald, Henderson and Alexander (Britain), M. Briand and M. Dumesnil France) and Messrs Stimson, 'Robinson and Dwight Morrow (America). Each delegation was attended by expert advisers. The discussion was devoted exclusively to figures, no reference being made to political considerations. Further examination of the matter will be taken up to-morrow.

CANCELLATION OF BUILDING. BRITAIN ALONE ACTS. LONDON, March 12. In the House of Commons, Rear-Ad-miral Beamish (Conservative) asked what was the total tonnage warship construction cancelled since June 1, 1928, bv each of x the five Powers engaged in the Naval Conference. The First Lord of the Admiralty (Ml A V. Alexander) said that 66,000 tons had been cancelled by the British Government. No tonnage so far as he was aware, had been cancelled by the othei Powers.—British Official Wireless.

M TARDIEU'S POSITION. NO HEROIC PROPOSALS LIKELY LONDON, March 12. Commentators on :he Naval Conference doubt if M. Tardieu will feel safe enough in his office of Prime Minister ot France to risk any heroic proposal to cut down the French naval demands A large majority of the members of the Chamber of Deputies are opposed to a reduction without a further cuiarantee. M. Tardieu has suffered several defeats on minor points, and no one regards his original majority of fifty as a criterion o* the real Parliamentary situation in France.