HISTORIC GATHERING;

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18453, 14 January 1922, Page 10

HISTORIC GATHERING;

OPENING OF WASHINGTON „ CONFERENCE. It was in an atmosphere of democratic simplicity that the International Conference opened at Washington on . Saturday, November 12, writes, the special correspondent of the Melbourne Age. Although at this opening session Mr Charles Evans Hughes, the American’’ Secretary of State, and the commanding figure in American public life at the present time, outlined a practical scheme for the limitation of naval - armaments by scrapping 66 capita* ships belonging to the navies of the „ United ’ States, Groat Britain; and Japan—a scheme which marks an epoch in the progress of civilisation towards permanent peace—there was nothing impressive in 'the scene or the surroundings. At times it was difficult to believe that this assemblage of the official repre-sentatives-of nine of the chief nations of the world, including five of the Great Powers, was anything more than an orderly public - meeting. Washington, which is the capital city of the vast republic of the United States, with its population of 110,000,000 people, contains more large public buildings than New York, which has ,a population more than 20 times greater than that of. Washington. But among all Washington’s large public buildings—some of which are very beautifully decorated both inside apd ; outside —there is none of a neutral character, with a large hall which would add- dignity to an assom-, blage of nations. For the most part .these puclic buildings consist - of Government departments, museums,, art galleries, and memorial halls. Of course, at the Capitol, the palatial building where Congress sits, there is ample room for a very large assemblage ; but the; us© of any" part of the Capitol {or an international assemblage of a deliberative nature would have constituted an outrage on diplomatic usage which neither Congress nor the foreign delegations attending the conference would have sanctioned. N ' The International Conference held its opening session in the Continental Memorial Hall, which is about half, the size of the Melbourne Town Hall. ’ This building, which was completed six years, ago, belongs to the Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The membership of this society, which now totals 70,000 is restricted to female descendants of men who fought in the revolution which established American independence. The building, which cost £85,000, is of white* marble, and the interior decorations are in white, to correspond with the marble walls. At each side of. the central floor, where., the' nine national delegations sat, and also in the extensive gallery running round three sides of .'the hall, are comfortable leather seats to accommodate about 1400 people. There’ were over 2000 people in the hell when the opening session of the conference wag held,- but a number of them stood at the back, and .others had seats provided on the central floor, close to the delegates. Amon-r those who witnessed the proceedings were 260 journalists, representmg_ newspapers and news agencies in the United States;’ Greaf Britain, France, Italy, Japan, - China. .Belgium the Netherlands. Portugal, India, Canada, Australia, and various South American > aiid Central American Republics. . There are about 600 journalists in Washington at the present time in connection with the conference;, but about 400 of these represent, the newspapers and news agencies of the United States. Each of the chief newspapers s published in New 1 York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and other important ciries’in .’the Urtited States has staffs of ,10T to.-.SO.r.meh -in .-Washington engaged on wprk ip oonncctifjn with the conference. There, were about 60 ladies among the spectators at the opening session. Four boxes, two ou eachyside of the : hall at the (rear, overlooked the delegations,, seated at the tables on the. floor of the hall, and these, were reserved for. Jadies. Among them were* Mrs ' Ha.rding’j ’the wife of the President- of. the /United' States;-- Mrs Coolidge, the wife of the, Vice-president; and the; wives of some of‘the members of the foreign delegations." At the right hand of President Harding, who opened the conference, and occupied ;a seat ‘at- tlje centre of the top table, whore- the four members of the American ■ delegation—Mu - r C. E. , Hughes, Senator Lodge, Senator Elihu Boot, and . Senator Underwood.- ,oh, the President’s left hand ’ Were -the' chief members ’of the British deleigation—Mr A. J. Balfour. Lord Lee, the First Lord of the Admiralty; and Sir Auckland Geddes. the British Ambassador at Washington. Sitting at.; right angles' to the President on his right were the’.’ merhbers’of' the French and- - Japanese .’delegations; “and,; oh'hih left Sir Robert Borden. Canada; Senator Pearce, representing Australia; Sir John Salmond, representing New Zealand;,.and -the Hon.- Srinivasa Sastri, representing India. Further’ down the hall'was the Italian delegation,’ and at’ the bottom table, facing the President, were the Belgian. Dutch, Portuguese, and Chinese delegations. The proceedings’. opened- with a’ prayer by the Rev. .Dr Abernathy,, who is the minister at the .Baptist Church in Washington, wtych President Harding and Mrs Harding attend. There was,- nothing !in his attire to, suggest that, he was a minister; in appearance ho looked, to be an energetic, successful young business man. President Harding - then delivered’ his speech. The President is a fine, taH, statuesque figure. His head is squareshaped, his, hair, is white; he is cleanshaven,’ and wears glasses. He is not an orator, but he speaks clearly in a voice of pleasant A tons - that is not loud enough to' carry ’far.LObviously jho felt .the necessity of keeping, on.,siich a / momentous occasion, tft ‘the j.lex'tw of the, speech.. that had been prepared; but-',' though he referred q.t the beginning, of -almost every sentence to the printed copy of his speech, which ho held in his hand,- there was no monotony in his delivery, as is usually the case when a speaker reads his 'speech. Beyond inclining his head to one side or the other to emphasise a phrase, he uses gesture sparingly.; but almost all the time he was speak mg a pleasant smile played about his mobile mouth. It is said that President Harding,. whose nomination to the Presidency was the result of -, a compromise between sections of Republican Party, each, of which had A stronger candidate, is a man of mediocre ability. But everyone admits that he fills his high position with credit, if not with distinction, and those who expected little of him when he began his Presidential term in March last are ready to admit that he has done much .better ■'than they expected. The power behind President Harding is Mr C. -E. Hughes, the Secretary of State. Ho is regarded as the most able man in the public life of America at the present time. There -is some degree of autocracy mixed with, his democracy,_ which those who are opposed . to ■ him politically predict ■ will be his downfall, just, as a similar characteristic led to the downfall of Mr Woodrow Wilson. But, Mr Hughes, who lost the nomination of his party at the last Presidential election because Americans dislike autocracy in any form, hopes to become. President at the next election. If he brings the International Conference to a successful issue he will greatly enhance his reputation os a man of outstanding ability, and it is .fairly certain that he will subsequently receive the nomination of his party for the Presidential chair.

President Harding left the hall after the delivery of his speech, and Mr A. J. Balfour, the head of -the British delegation, proposed that Mr Hughes should be appointed chairman of the conference. This motion was carried,, and Mr Hughes then proceeded to deliver his momentous speech, in which he proposed, that the United States, Great Britain,- and Japan should abandon building capital ships for a period of tetl years, should scrap all. capital ships under construction, and also a number of old battleships. This proposition for reduction of naval armaments—so startling in magnitude, so simple and concrete m principle —had been kept a close secret, and no member of the foreign delegations, and still less of the American press and public, had received any hint of it until Mr Hughes announced it at the first meeting of the conference. “ ’ • ’ Mr. Hughes is tall, like the President, but not quite so robust in figure. His hair and his short-trimmed beard are white—Senator Lodge and ho are the only two leading men in American public life; who , wear beards. He had a pri.ntedcopy of his speech in his hand, and ho referred to it constantly. He spoke in a slow, deliberate tone, but without. resorting to gesture. There is a metallic note in his -v.ojo©/ - which at times becomes almost raspingi He had ah inspiring message to deliver,., but though, he spoke impressively, there ■ was nothing inspiring in his delivery. President Harding and Mr Hughes conform to the American pronunciation of the letter “u,” by the word new is pronounced hoo, opportunity becomes opportoonity; ’ 'Ondmrmg '= becomes endooring, and matured' becomes! matoored. ; The first djm.fe demonstration of-applause at the conference,', which was led by the senators and.-ex-senatora sitting in the gallery, came when President/Harding, towards the close of-sis ■speech,; said, “I can speak officially only Tor the United , r . States. Otirhundred . millions frankly" ’ want, less of armamentand' non© - of war.” The 'senators’ -. ■clapped, their hand*