NAVAL LIMITATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 269, 12 October 1929, Page 2

NAVAL LIMITATION

FIVE POWER CONFERENCE. BROADENING THE TREATY. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph .—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received October 12, 11.2 a.m. RUGBY, Oct. 11. Tho United States’s acceptance of Great Britain’s invitation to attend the London Five Power Naval Conference “will unite the Powers signatory to the Washington Treaty in a discussion which will anticipate the problems under Article XXI of the Treaty and broaden its whole scope by the inclusion of other categories of ships.” Aocording to newspaper correspondents, the British Prime Minister, in conversations with President Hoover, discussed in a general way the whole field of Anglo-American relations from “bootlegging” to naval bases. The Daily Herald says that oil they did, however, was to decide definitely that every such subject should be made the theme of conversations between the two Governments. The conversations are to be carried on in the same way as General Dawes and Mr MacDonald discussed the position of cruisers before the latter’s visit to the United States. Before this can be done, however, Mr MacDonald, on his return, will take the usual stops and discuss the matters with the proper authorities, so-that the British position may bo defined as a preliminary to the conversations with the American Ambassador. POOLING OF NAVIES. DENIAL OF STATEMENT. Received October 12, 1 p.m. WASHINGTON, 6ct. 11. Mr Stimson, in an informal statement to-dav, said that moral and not military influence was the purpose that Mr Hoover and Mr MacDonald sought in reaching an understanding during their talks. He denied the published statement that Britain and the United States had in effect agreed to pool their navies to maintain the peace of the world. He said that during the whole of the conversations there was not a syllable of such a suggestion. The tenor of tj»e conversations was exactly the reverse. The basis of the discussions was that the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which aims at outlawing war and all forcible means of compulsion of the nations, and which relies wholly upon the public opinion of the world as its sole sanction. Nothing could have been further away from the truth than to suspect they contemplated any joining or pooling of navies. No such idea was ever broached or discussed.