IMPASSE REACHED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22319, 17 January 1936, Page 9

IMPASSE REACHED

LONDON CONFERENCE WORK BEING CONTINUED SITUATION UNDER REVIEW By Telcsraph—Preps Association—Copyright British Wireless RUGBY, Jan. 15 At a meeting of the First Committee of the London Naval Conference, at, which the First Lord of the Admiralty, Viscount Monsell, J presided, the Japanese delegate, Admiral Nagano, again stated the proposal for a common upper limit for naval armaments. The delegates of the other Powers then snoke, explaining their objections to the proposal. It was clear that no agreement was possible and the committee adjourned. Subsequently the Japanese delegation in- j timated its decision to withdraw from the conference. The First Committee will meet again to-morrow when it will proceed with other questions, taking up the thread of the work where it was interrupted toward the end of last week by the request of the Japanese delegation for an opportunity to advance again its own proposal. In a statement Lord Monsell explained the attitude of the United Kingdom delegation to the Japanese proy>osal. In the view of the delegation, he said, naval strength could not he measured in terms of numbers of fighting ships without reference to other factors such as the remoteness of bases, the sources of supplies and 'the vulnerability of communications. Danger in Common Tipper Limit A Power with world-wide responsibilities must devote its naval forces to the protection of its sea communications and therefore must possess forces in excess of a Power which was able to maintain its whole naval forces in or near its home waters. Accordingly the United Kingdom delegation did not find the proposal to I apply a common upper limit either to the British Commonwealth, the United States and Japan, or to all Powers, consistent with the defence requirements of the British Commonwealth. It agreed with the United States delegation that it was impossible to maintain equal armaments to give equal security. The Japanese proposal, if applied universally, would mean that every country, however slender its resources and however small its responsibilities, not only would have the right to build up its naval strength to equality with its neighbours, but might be encouraged to do so. Thus the plan might well furnish an incentive for a general increase in building among Powers which possessed small navies at present. The British Government and people | yielded nothing to Japan in their desire to see a general reduction in naval armaments, said Lord Monsell, but the reduction must be achieved by a method fair to all which would impair the security of none. Tokio's Proposal Impracticable The withdrawal of the Japanese delegation from the conference, although I by no means unexpected, has caused lively regret in London. In circles closely connected with the conference the view is expressed that the impracticability of the Japanese proposal is best shown by the plain fact that it was found unacceptable by all the other participants in the discussions. It is considered unfortunate that the j Japanese delegation came to the conj ference with such narrow instructions. | There is a general impression that the | form of the Japanese proposal was dicI tated by a too close consideration of their own needs and too little consideration for the requirements of other Powers. This is illustrated by the fact that while laying stress upon their anxiety to secure the abolition of offensive categories in naval armament, the Japanese excluded submarines. Regret Over the Withdrawal There is undisguised regret that the Japanese delegation is unwilling to remain to discuss an agreement providing for a frank exchange of information and various questions of qualitative disarmament which are still to come before the conference, the more so as the Japanese delegation has been treated with great consideration and the conference has given the fullest discussion to its proposal at v five out of the 10 meetings so far held of the First Committee as well as almost exclusively at one meeting of the heads of delegations. In conference circles, however, the hope is strongly entertained that the withdrawal of the delegation from the further work of the conference will not lead to recriminations or affect the relations of the Powers concerned adversely in respect of other questions. The Sun-Herald news service says tho British statement, though not compiled in conjunction with the Dominions delegates, expresses the British attitude to the Japanese proposal as affected by the responsibilities to the Empire. Hitherto, the British have not openly admitted that the Japanese sought a fleet equalling that of the Empire and the United States, but they now point out that the Japanese demanded that all navies should be reduced to their level or slightly below.