MARKING TIME.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 66, 19 March 1930, Page 7

MARKING TIME.

NAVAL CONFERENCE. Another French Political Difficulty. PRIVATE TALKS CONTINUE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, March 18. Although no formal meetings have been arranged, private conversations are continuing between the Naval Conference delegates, dix-ected primarily towards discovering a means of adjusting the opposing views maintained by France and Italy. Definite news of the proceedings seems unlikely for some days and may depend upon the, return at the week-end of M. Tardieu, whose presence in Paris at mid-week is necessitated by a difficult position in the French political situation.

With the conference in a stage of uncertainty a review of the situation which Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, gave in the House of Commons on the Navy Estimates last night was naturally guarded, and the Opposition, in such circumstances, showed a desire not to embarrass the Government by questions of excessive criticism.

Mr. Alexander defined the British policy in its determination to avoid both unilateral disarmament and competition in building and, while offering little comment on the conference, he expressed the view that pessimism would be falsified.

He paid a tribute to Sir Charles Madden, First Sea Lord, who will retire from that position at the end of the conference and will be succeeded by Sir Frederick Field.

The main criticism offered by the Opposition came from Mr. Winston Churchill, who said that he thought that the redefined cruiser strength as 50 cruisers less than 20 years old was such a great reduction as to amount to unilateral disarmament.

"HONEST WRECKER:' " Daily Herald's" Faux Pas Tribute to Mac Donald. CONFERENCE'S BLANK DAY. (Received 10 a.m.) LONDON, March 18. , Except for Signor Grandi's visit to Mr. H. L. Stimson, from which it is understood no progress was made toward ending the Franco-Italian deadlock, the conference is having a blank day though the telegraph lines to Paris and to Rome are very busy with Government dispatches. This morning, the conference, according to the British spokesman, resolved itself into a mock trial, arising from the "Daily Herald's" faux pas, in which, in a desire to pay tribute to Mr. Mac Donald as the "honest broker," it unfortunately printed "honest wrecker."