NAVAL CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20480, 4 February 1930, Page 11

NAVAL CONFERENCE.

WORK AT WEEK-END.-FRENCH AND BRITISH VIEWS. THIN LINE OF DIVERGENCE. By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright. British Wireless. RUGBY, Feb. 2. The delegates to the Naval Conference did no committee work at the week-end. Messrs. Tardieu and Briand (France) paid short visits to Paris. Signor Grandi (Italy) and Mr. Wakatsuki (Japan) went to the seaside and the British Prime Minister, Mr. Mac Donald, to Chequers. The delegates took much work with them, including papers relating to the proposal whereby the British category and the French global theories are correlated. On that complicated and ' important problem there is hope of a solution. Mr. Mac Donald's optimistic statement to the effect .that the partition dividing the French and the British is so thin as to be almost transparent is borne out in French delegation circles. Britain is not likely to accept the compromise proposal formally, however, until the views of the other delegates have been defined and until the whole matter has been thrased out in committee. The so-called First Committee has now been turned into a committee of all the delegates and is in effect the conference sitting as a committee in private. The next meeting of the kind is to be held on Tuesday. Some of the newspapers call attention to the significance of recent announcements about the reductions in Britain's naval construction programme for 19291930. It is reckoned that the naval tonnage which Britain, in the ordinary course, would have laid down in the curxxnt financial year has been reduced by nearly 30,000 tons, or more than 50 per cent. That 'is regarded as an impressive lead to tho conference.

At the same timp some of the newspapers say they consider the cancellations excessive, particularly as they have been made without any effort to use the reductions as a bargain-counter for dealing with the other naval Powers.

BRITISH PROGRAMMES.

CUTS BY GOVERNMENT.

LABOUR'S JUSTIFICATION

LONDON, Feb. 3,

The Daily Herald, in seeking to justify Britain's latest naval cuts, says: The foreign delegates to the Naval Conference fully realise the significance of the British Government's revision of its naval programme.

The cuts entail a total saving of £9,000,000. They are of two kinds, namely: (1) The cancellation of the cruisers Surrey and Northumberland, the preliminary work on which is to be scrapped; (2) the reduction of the 1929 programme before any work has been beguii or any orders have been placed.

This is not one-sided disarmament, says the Herald. It is the measure of the Government's confidence as to the outcome of' the conference. If the conference succeeds the vessels dropped will not be required. Therefore, the Government has decided not to begin work which might have to be scrapped later. The change will not entail the discharge of Government dockyard, employees. AMERICAN DELEGATES. VISIT TO BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. GUESTS OF PRIME MINISTER. LONDON. Feb. 2. The American delegates to the Naval Conference were taken by the Prime Minister, Mr. Mac Donald, on a tour of Buckinghamshire.

At Chalfont St. Giles cne of the visitors, as he stood gazing afc Milton's cottage, remarked: "Milton wrote 'Paradise Lost,' but if we can achieve success at this conference we shall have written across the pages of history 'Paradise Regained.' " None ever stands on that spot but feels the thrill of its historic associations, apart from its loveliness. How much more, therefore, mnst it appeal to the members of the delegations and their wives and daughters who are here on a historic mission.

Mr. Mac Donald is the host of the visitors at the wonderful house, Chequers, which was given to the nation in 1921 by Viscount Lee as a resting-place for Prime Ministers of Britain.

The visitors went on to Jordan's meeting house and other sacred spots. Referring subsequently to the lour, the chief American delegate, Mr. H. L. Stimson, said it had been the time of bis life. He would never forget that it was all sacred ground. It had reminded him of how Britons and Americans had sprung from a common stock.

They were blood brothers and must ever live in peace and strive to establish peace in the world.