NAVAL HARMONY

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 147, 18 March 1931, Page 9

NAVAL HARMONY

New Agreement to be Drafted in London OPINIONS IN EUROPE BriH.h Wireless. Rugby, March 16. For the purpose of considering the form and final drafting of the Anglo-Franco-Italian Naval Agreement, a meeting of diplomatic and technical experts is being arranged to take place in London on Thursday. The basis of discussion is contained in the recent provisional agreement published last week as a White Paper. In addition to the British, French, and Italian representatives, Mr. Dwight Morrow, who was one of the American delegates at last year’s London Naval Conference, and who is now crossing the Atlantic on a holiday, will attend, together with the United States Ambassador, General Dawes, on behalf of the United States, while Japan’s, representative will be Mr. Matsudaira, her Ambassador in London. “Fair, Play Victorious.” “The Naval Agreement leaves no victors and no vanquished. It is victory for fair play and commonsense,” declared the Italian Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Signor Grand!, addressing the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber in Rome. The practical effect, he said, was to give a relative advantage to Italy in modern ships, and to France in overage ships. The agreement safeguarded the Italian viewpoint, while allowing one-third reduction in Italian and French building and creating the atmosphere' required for the solution of other problems in the peace of Europe and the world, pointing the way to a reduction in land and air armaments. French Press Suspicious. Signor Grandi’s speech has found no wide echo in Paris, comments "The Times” correspondent. Newspapers comment cautiously, expressing surprise that Signor Grand! has made no mention of Franco-Italian negotiations to settle differences which the Ambassador opened with the Italian Foreign Office. The Press also is suspicious of the conciliatory tone regarding disarmament. Signor Grandi’s pacifism Is regarded as a rather rapid. conversion from Mussolini’s militarism. Nevertheless the Franco-Italian negotiations are proceeding cordially. It is stated that the French are offering considerable concessions to Italy respecting the North African frontiers, and they expect Italy to reciprocate by not fostering a separate Italian State in Tunis. IMPROVED OUTLOOK Review of “Weather Signs” CHANGED WORLD FEELING (Rec. March 17, 5.5 p.m.) Rugby, March 16. Viscount Cecil, speaking in London this afternoon on disarmament, expressed the opinion that "International weather had very markedly improved, and was still improving.” Instead of hostility between countries there was a changed feeling, and within the skeleton of the document drawn up at the Preparatory Commission on Disarmament, he firmly believed it was possible to carry out international disarmament to a most drastic degree. They were anxious that the coming conference should result not merely in the limitation of armament. If they could only induce the nations to agree that the result of their deliberations next year would be to bring down the costs of armament by a definite percentage—he hoped by as much as 25 per cent. —they should get a really convenient and simple test as to whether they were progressing towards reduction or only towards limitation.