NAVAL REDUCTIONS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17227, 5 April 1930, Page 5

NAVAL REDUCTIONS

DISCUSSIONS CONTINUE

THE FRENCH OBSTACLE

I British Official Win-less.) ltec noon. RUGBY, April 4. Political aspects of the disarmament conference will be further discussed at a. luncheon by Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, Mr. Arthur Henderson, and M. Bnaud. The American, British and Japanese naval advisors continue consideration of the latest communication from Tokio. A new difficulty in the search tor a formula is contained in Signor Grandi s intimation to Mr. MacDonald that the interpretation of the convenant of Locarno concerned others powers besides France, and that the best place to discuss it was at Geneva. In any case the problem remained. Even if France reduced her figures she still denied Italy parity. The British and French delegates and their expert advisers again spent several hours to-day in the search lor a formula setting out an agreed interpretation of certain articles of the League convenant. Although their efforts have not yet been successful, the task has not been abandoned, and hopes are still entertained that a formula may be found which will so increase France's sense of security as to enable her to make an appreciable reduction in her naval tonnage requirements, without explicitly or implicitly extending the obligations to which Britain is committed under the League covenant and Locarno treaty.

The submarine experts met this afternoon on the subject of proposals for the humanising of submarine warfare and 'limiting the size of submarines. It is expected that the report of these experts will be forthcoming in the course of the next few days.