GENEVA DISCUSSIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 87, 13 April 1927, Page 7

GENEVA DISCUSSIONS.

Delegates Differ on Disarmament Principles. I FRANCE A STUMBLING BLOCK. GENEVA, April 12. It felt obliged to adhere to the trim' nf its own draft convention. in which limitation would l>o arrived at bv categories instead of by total tonnage. Britain regarded it as \ital not to interfere with the settlement eniKnlied in the Washington Treaty, which was working smoothly. She felt that the French proposals opened a vv ide door to competition in respect to the power, size and gun-power of ships. Lord Cecil added that Britain had special responsibilities in connection with naval questions and would l>e false to thcin if she accepted any system which would not yield real security. General di Marinis (Italy) aUo said his Government found tho. French draft convention unacceptable. lx-cansc it would be impossible to discuss a subdivision of her fleet into vossn].. employed in home and colonial defence. M. Paul Boncour (France) s;»id hicountry, having aooeptod a great disproportion at Washington, c. uld not accept any proposition which would restrain her liberty to dispose of the tonnage in the remaining classes a- the needs for her seem it v might dictate. At a conference with journalists Lord Cecil said the Commission wou'd draw up a report upon the point- < ?i whiih it had agreed and would po--iMy adjourn after Faster until November. Tho conference suggested by America, to which Lord tecil said l.e attached tho utmost importance, would meet at Geneva on June 20.