ARBITRATION.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 659, 9 November 1909, Page 5

ARBITRATION.

'-,■ : :■■'* —. ■-*- — '—■:- ■■:■: . .■-..■ THE LIMITED TREATY WITH GERMANY ;. : RENEWED FOR ONE YEAR; :■ ■QUESTION. OF; "ADDITIONAL .;MATTER.'V^ (By ...TelcgrapU—3?rcss . ABBoclaUon-Copyri^hi.)";'■ . -:':', ■■>..:. ,; .'.(Rep.' : November-8,.-'io pin.) v i\: ,'.-■:'■ [■ ■ :■_ ■ ■ '•'"■ -.- '■-'.■■'■■' ■ London, November'-8/V Sir .Edward: Grey,' Secretary., for.,, 'Itoeign Affairs,: informed the .National Peace .Council. ' that the,Anglo-German Arbitration Agreement : (signed '-'on- July , 12, .1901, : for.; .five''.years;,:and ■ providing for reference to arbitration.-.of'dis-i putea of a judicial order) was, , on .its eipiry.in July, 1909, -renewed only for'a : year.-v ■:'- f'■/['■. , The reason of:this was that, when , the; Agreed s ment was'expiring,.: the. question o£ inserting" r additional matter, was under consideration ;:but- . the British" Government, had since decided .in , favour of the renewal of the 'Agreement ;, for the .remainder of the quinquennium./.; , ' ,, " : . ; .. : ■'■'''■?'.', < :''y. ■;'.'■■.TERMS .-0 F ; THEATRE AT Y..(W:V; ; ■;'■ I >' ARBITRATION AND LIMITATION.'?'¥ A treaty or agreement of arbitration and conciliation 1 between Great Britain and Franco was .signed ; on October 14,. 1903. This treaty provided for" the reference of all differences of a judicial order and not involving vital interests or national-honour to ;the decision of The Court, the reference to he precededby ; a special agreement sotting out tho subject in dispute, the powers of the arbitrators, and the constitution of the Court. Similar treaties, holding good for five years,'have since been signed by- many of the European Powors inter se.' ■•.-' ".... ■; : ' . ;.■. ■ •■; :■■ '.-■... -. Great Britain has twelve such- treaties, and Germany haa one—that with Great Britain. The countries with which Great Britain has treaties are: France, Italy,; Spain, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Portugal; Switzerland, Austria- • Hungary, Holland, Denmark, TJnited States. These agreements, as the foregoing shows, are strictly limited in scopo. Denmark has, iowovor tiro unlimited treaties of arbitration,: one with the Netherlands, and one with.ltaly." The Aaglo-German Arbitration'Treaty."iwas signed on July. 12,' 1304, and would have expired on July 12 of this year., Instead of ■ being" renewed for another five years, it was, the Foreign Secretary explains, renewed for one year only '(i.e., till July, 1910); because the question of "inserting additional matter" was under' consideration. 1 . Now,: however,- the British ■' Government is prepared to renew the treaty "for the remainder of : the. quinquen- , nium" (i.e., till July, 1914), presumably in its present form, without any additional, matter. The key to the meaning of the phrase "ridditionar matter" is no doubt to'be found'in the very limited scopo of the present treaty, and in tho British proposals for limitation , of arma-! ments, wlich were made to Germany prior to tho. expiration of the first quinquennium. The question of arbitration and limitation, though indeppnden't, would naturally fall : together. During the' , debates in the House of Commons arieing.-ont of the acceleration of the German naval programme. Mr. Asquith stated that Britain had' made certain overtures to Germany, r Subsequent 'Shipbuilding operations show- that .Germany is not inclined to respond. Now Britain; , proposes ,to renew for the. full I term the-arbitration agreement of-1904—that is, to maintain the.status qno., > : .• ... It has recently been stated that Britain's offer to ; Germany' remains open. A pection of the' Btvdinal press in. Berlin a'dvises the acceptance of. "Britain's:outstretched hand.". ;:■-.-..' ;