NAVAL CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20537, 11 April 1930, Page 11

NAVAL CONFERENCE.

(FIVE rOWEKS TREATY.

' LITTLE hope remains.

agreement.

LAST OBSTACLE GONE.

CONCESSION TO JAPAN. jgy Telctrr;iph- Association—Copyright. (Received April 10, 5.15 p.m.) LONDON. April 30. The reason given for the lack of pro- . press with the security negotiations at the Naval Conference yesterday was that Signor Grandi (Italy) was suffering from a cold. This is regarded by many ns a diplomatic indisposition. The British, American and Italian delecations now admit that little hope remains of a five Powers pact. One observer describes it as a "corpse" "'though tho announcement of its death is Still withheld. The last differences in the way of a •complete "'lee Powers agreement have disappeared. Britain and America have agreed 1o Japan's request to accelerate the building of cruisers and destroyers in crder to keep the dockyards in Japan employed. Japan was undertaking not to accelerate her submarine programme.

f FOBMAL BUSINESS.

DELEGATES' CONVERSATIONS

aircraft-carriers DEFINED.

British Wireless. RUGBY, April 0. To-day's conversations between the 'delegates to tho Naval Conference, arranged in the hopo that tho chances of a five Powers agreement might bo reviewed, were somewhat impeded by tho absence through illness of Signor Grandi. Nevertheless, tho Prime Minister, Mr. Mac Donald, and the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Henderson, had a long talk with the Italian Ambassador, Signor Bordonaro,

and Signor Rossi. The French and United Kingdom delegations also mot. It is understood that they dealt mainly with statistics, as did also Mr. A. V. Alexander and M. Pumesnil, tho respective heads of tho British and French Admiralties. Tho special ,sub-comiriitteo appointed by the First Committee to consider tho question of aircraft-carriers held a meet- ' ing under tho chairmanship of Mr. Alexantler. ft was agreed that tho generic term " aircraft-carrier" for tho purposes cf a proposed agreement should comprehend (1) Aircraft-carriers of over 10.000 tons standard displacement, as defined in the treaty between tho United States and the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan, signed at Washington on February 6, 1922.

(2) Other surface vessels of war of a standard displacement not exceeding 10,000 lons, designed for the specific and exclusive purposes of conveying aircraft and so constructed that aircraft can be launched front them and landed on them; such vessels not to carry guns with a calibre in excess of six inches. These vessels will go into the aircraftcarrier category, while all other vessels built to carry aeroplanes or seaplanes are to lie charged against an appropriate combat an'., category, according to size and armaments.