NAVAL DEADLOCK

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 180, 28 April 1931, Page 9

NAVAL DEADLOCK

Britain Replies to France DISAPPROVAL SHOWN Italian Claim for Parity HOSTILE PRESS COMMENT By Telegraph—Presa Aaen.—Copyright. (Rec. April 27, 7.30 p.m.) Paris, April 26. The British reply to the French proposals for the naval agreement has reached the Foreign Office unofficially. The reply admittedly is opposed to the French suggestions. Press comment shows an unwavering determination not to consent to the Italian claims for parity. It Is contended that these are cropping out in every stage of the negotiations owing to Italy’s views of proposed French replacements. Although the text of the British reply is kept a secret, sufficient has been revealed to enable the newspapers to reiterate their denials of French responsibility for the delay and accuse Britain of unreasonableness. The papers unanimously declare that France has reached the limit of concessions, and anticipate that Britain will refuse to consider the French case, which Is described as Impeccably reasonable. They declare that the present “misunderstanding” Is due to Britain’s ambiguous three-cornered negotiations. A London message states that a copy of the British reply to the French Note has been delivered to the Italian Embassy. ATTITUDE OF ITALY “Unacceptable” Proposals (Rec. April 27, 7.80 p.m.) Rome, April 26. It is somi-officially stated that Italy Intends to declare that the French naval proposals are unacceptable. BRITISH DIPLOMACY Aid in European Affairs NEED FOR CONCILIATION Official Wireless. Rugby, April 24. Speaking to-night at the annual dinner of the Foreign Press Association, the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Arthur Henderson, said that the world was in a transition stage between the old individualistic’diplomacy and the new diplomacy of conciliation and co-opera-tion. x . Much was being done to reconstruct International relations on a better basis. The Government set much store by arbitration and disarmament It had signed the Optional Clause, and 34 nations had now accepted this obligation. It had adhered to the General. Act for Pacific Settlement It was impossible to over-estimate the Importance which they and, he thought, all parties In Great Britain attached to the success of the forthcoming Disarmament Conference, which would do more than any other single factor toward removing economic depression. Guarantee of Prosperity. A serene International atmosphere was one of the best guarantees of material prosperity. Happily, in disarmament, progress had been made. The draft scheme recently evolved at Geneva enabled the Disarmament Conference to open early next year. Mr. Henderson continued with the admission that it was useless to pretend that the spirit of suspicion, distrust, and insecurity, which had plagued old diplomacy, had been banished. He did not believe it could be banished unless the nations completed the work of disarmament contemplated in the Versailles Treaty, and until nations placed greater reliance upon the solemn obligations of the League. Attitude of Britain. The Foreign Secretary concluded with the declaration that our interest in permanent peace had been the principal object of British participation in international affairs. It had influenced British policy with regard to the Rhineland and other questions, including the Franco-Italian naval negotiations. He felt that the settlement of the Franco-Italian naval problem would greatly help the Disarmament Conference, and failure might sooner or later destroy the value of the London Naval Treaty. Britain’s position on this issue was typical. She intervened partly as a European Power to help to settle a European problem, and partly as an extra-European Power in the interest of world peace and friendly International relations.