NAVAL NEGOTIATIONS

Northern Advocate, 7 April 1931, Page 5

NAVAL NEGOTIATIONS

EMBARRASSING JUNCTURE REPLACEMENT EXTENT FRANCO-ITALTAN DIFFERENCE. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received 9 a.m.) LONDON, April 6. The Paris correspondent of the “Morning Post” says the FraneoItalian naval accord is in serious danger over the question of the replacement of obsolete ships. This was purposely kept in the background during the negotiations with Italy, carried out recently by the British Foreign Secretary, Mr Arthur Henderson, in the hope that it would be regarded as a secondary point which could be settled when the drafting of the text was in hand. Mr Henderson thus secured Italy’s adherence to the treaty, though the discrepancy remained. Now it is revealed that the difference is about 70,000 tons short of the agreement, this being roughly the amount of French replacements. The French delegates say their claim was communicated to Mr Henderson, and they believe the Italians accepted it. On the other hand, the Italian drafters say they liave only just heard of the point for the first time.