NAVAL CONFERENCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22359, 4 March 1936, Page 12

NAVAL CONFERENCE

DISCUSSIONS IN LONDON GERMAN VIEWS ON TREATY British Wifeless RItGBY, March 2 Before the Foreign Secretary, Mr. lAnthony Eden, left London for Geneva, he received Herr von Bismarck, Acting-Counsellor at the German Embassy. The purpose of the visit was to convey to Mr. Eden the reply of the German Government to a proposal made to the'Gerfhan Ambassador, Dr. Hoesch, on Feibruarv 26, that Germany should negotiate a bilateral naval agreement with Britain," embodying the results of any agreement reached at the Naval Conference.

Herr von Bismarck intimated that his Government, in principle, was ready to start negotiations for such a bilateral treaty.

These negotiations apparently are a •prelude to the disappearance of one of the chief difficulties hampering the conference and no doubt will be followed by a British approach to Russia, as it is not expected that Germany will accept qualitative limitations which the Soviet hafi not accepted. There is no reason to expect that Russia will raise difficulties, but treaties between Britain and Germany and Britain and Russia depend on the Powers in the conference agreeing. In this; connection America is awaiting a French communication regarding 35,000-ton battleships, which'the United States is not likely to modify in spite of the desire of the other Powers for a reduction. Other technical points are the socalled "escape clause," due to the Japanese withdrawal and a settlement of the gap between the displacement of eruisers and capital ships which would be necessary to render cruiser limitations effective.