ALL WILLING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 246, 17 October 1929, Page 7

ALL WILLING.

POWERS , CONFERENCE Italy Anxious To Reduce Danger Of Excessive Armaments. HOPE FOR REAL PROGRESS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 12 noon.) RUGBY, October 16. . The replies of all the four Powers invited by the British Government to participate in the naval conference, to be held in London in the third week in January, are expected within the next few days. The United States have notified their willingness to participate. Italy's acceptance was announced; laet night. Messages from Tokyo indicate thai Japan is cabling a favourable reply, while yesterday it was announced in Paris that a Note of acceptance is being drafted by the French Government.

Broadly stated the business is expected to consist of a reconsideration of the Washington Treaty of 1920 with regard to capital ships and the consideration of categories not covered by that agreement, namely, light cruisers, torpedo craft, submarines, etc.

The text of the Italinn Government's Note accepting the invitation of the British Government to the conference is issued for publication. The Note says the Italian Government has given most serious consideration to the invitation, and proceeds: "The attitude of the Italian Government on the problem of general disarmament, and naval disarmament in particular, is too well known to the British Government to require statement. "It has been clearly expressed- on repeated occasions, and lastly in the 'Note addressed on October 6, 1925, to the British Embassy in Rome in reply to a communication on the subject of the draft Franco-British naval agreement of last year. Being desir6*us, as always, of collaborating in any step proposed with a view to eliminate dieadvantages and dangers of excessive armaments, and cherishing a hope that the British initiative may result in real progress towards the solution of the general disarmament problem, the Italian Government gladly accept the invitation of the British Government to participate in the London conference. "They note that the British Government intend to communicate to them their views regarding the matters to be discussed at the conference and, while awaiting such communication, they will, for their part, acquaint the British Government with their own view on the subject."