WORLD NAVIES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 74, 9 January 1936, Page 5

WORLD NAVIES

EXPANDED BRITISH PLAN. CONSIDERATION AT CONFERENCE THE CLASH OF INTERESTS. (United Pi’ess Association—Copyright.) LONDON, January 7. Italy, Britain, and France have circulated among the delegations to the Naval Conference separate plans for the exchange of information about naval construction, which the conference will consider to-morrow. It is understood that the British plan embodies the Italian propoSal for the declaration of building programmes at the beginning of each financial year, and the French proposal for communication about each ship as it is laid down. , It also contains far - reaching requirements about details to be communicated about each ship. The Tokio correspondent of “ The Times” says the London correspondent of the “Asalii Shimbun” said that Mr R. A. Eden, foreseeing the failure of the conference, was contemplating an agreement with Japan about the Far East and with the Soviet about the Near and Middle East. V The foreign spokesman said that Japan had already discussed China with Britain, and it was premature to assume that the Naval Conference would fail, but besides these questions there were issues outstanding, mainly commercial, such as the right of entry of Japanese merchants into British territories. He quoted as an example the Australian restrictions on Japanese wool-buyers. Japan was prepared for discussion of all matters where the Powers interested conflicted, but considered it useless to discuss British and Japanese interests in China separately from other interests. The “Asalii Shimbun,” embellishing the -Foreign Office statement, says that ; the British Dominions and territories covering one-fourth of the earth are wholly or partly closed to Japanese immigrants and goods, therefore a general settlement should precede negotiations about China.