DISARMAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 19533, 14 April 1927, Page 5

DISARMAMENT

THE GENEVA CONFERENCE VIEWS ON NAVAL LIMITATION. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, April, 13. Abandoning hopes of an agreement on naval disarmament, the Preparatory Committee has decided to adjourn on Thursday for a week, after which it will resume the task of drafting its report, setting out the points of agreement and disagreement. Lord Cecil announced' that Britain was willing to accept the French proposal for a limitation of naval and aerial effectives, subject to an agreement by all parties, and with a reservation that the decision regarding the dominions’ effectives should he vested with the dominions. M. Boncour abandoned the distinction between home and colonial fleets, which Signor De Marinis previously opposed. ■ The 4 Daily Telegraph’s diplomatic correspondent says that the British Government believes that progress in naval disarmament will b»9 achieved rather by the limited Coolidge conference than by endless, largely theoretical, and often insinscere, discussions, in which Powers without navies would not hesitate solemnly to record their votes. Britain cannot be expected to sacrifice real possibilities to the rhetorical abstractions and prejudices of exclusively land Powers.

THREE-POWER CONFERENCE. ADVANTAGE TO COMMISSION. WASHINGTON, April 12. , The pessimistic reports from Genova that the Preparatory Commission will not be re-convened until November, indicating that its work is on the verge of collapse, have mot with a more optimistic reception here among interested officials. It is pointed out that the long recess would be helpful, and bo a natural concomittant -of good activity and intensity of work on the part of its members. It is believed that the meeting of the three-Power naval conference in the interim would greatly aid the work of the Commission upon tho resumption of its sessions, since it is expected that many questions of naval armaments will be answered by the threePower conference. The Commission would therefore have the benefit of such conclusions in arriving at an agreement towards the end of the year.