ARMAMENTS RIVALRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17663, 27 December 1920, Page 5

ARMAMENTS RIVALRY.

JAPANESE DISAVOWAL. A DEFENSIVE PROGRAMME. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. (Reed. 10.30 p.m.) LONDON. Dec. 24. Biron Hayashi, Japanese Ambassador to Britain, who was chief of the Japanese delegation to the League of Nations Ar-semblv, has returned from Geneva. He is greatly impressed with the work accomplished. The creation of a court of international justice, he said, would have been impossible but for the League, while the mere expression of views on disarmament was of the greatest value. He did not think anj- Power on earth would go to war in the near future except the Russian Soviet Government. He was quite sure Japan, in common with other nations, would do anything possible to limit armaments. Japan had no intention of settinir the pace in the race of armaments. Her naval programme was only defensive. AMERICANS HESITATING. BRITAIN'S EXAMPLE. Australian and N.Z. Cab'.e Association. 'Red. !! 30 p.m.) NEW YORK. Dec. 05. Th« Washington correspondent of the I nited Press of America states that the British reduction of the Navy and Army Appropriation Estimates hap strengthened the hands of members of Congress who want similar action here. Tt has united i *b'->?e who want the appropriations cut for p'.'i-'nomy's sake and those actuated by pacifist principles. Together they form a large percentage in the House of Representatives and the Senate.