NAVAL DISARMAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 21035, 24 February 1932, Page 9

NAVAL DISARMAMENT

♦ THE GENEVA CONFERENCE SIMPLIFYING THE WORK. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright, GENEVA, February 22. The British delegation submitted to the Secretariat proposals for simplifying the work of the Disarmament Conference, urging special attention to the prohibition which Would weaken an attack and remove the temptation to aggression, particularly in the direction of limiting effectives, prohibiting mobile guns above a certain calibre, abolishing -..abmarines, reducing the size of warships, and the calibre of naval guns, examining the problem of aerial bombing, abolishing gas and bacterial warfare, and establishing permanent disarmament. OVERSHADOWED BY SHANGHAI INDEFINITE POSTPONEMENT POSSIBLE. LONDON, February 23. (Received February 24, at 9 a.m.) The ‘ Daily Mail’s ’ correspondent at Geneva says that Shanghai has so completely overshadowed the Disarmament Conference that it is believed that when the general debate terminates on February 24 a move will be made to postpone the conference indefinitely. The British United Press Association’s Geneva correspondent says that Japan’s disarmament proposals, which are expected to be announced to-day, include a reduction in the tonnage of capital ships, the limitation of air forces in a manner rectifying the existing inequalities, the prohibition of aerial bombing of towns, and the provision of assurances against the possible danger of countries violating the disarmament treaty. HIGH COMMISSIONERS RETURN LONDON, February 23. (Received February 24, at 9.15 a.m.) Sir Thomas Wilford and Sir’ Granville Ryrie have returned to London with no definite plans of resuming participation in the Disarmament Conference, at which Mr Knowles and Mr Duffy respectively are remaining as observers. The general opinion is that serious work will be deferred till May.