THE NAVAL TREATY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17238, 19 April 1930, Page 5

THE NAVAL TREATY

FINAL PREPARATION EARLY SIGNATURE EXPECTED THE SAFEGUARDING CLAUSE (liritiiih Official Wireless.) Rec. noon. KUGBV, April 17. ,1| is anticipated that the draft treaty resulting from the Naval Conference wiil be completed within the next 48 hours. A summary will at once be telegraphed to the capitals, and it is hoped that replies will be received in time for the final drafting to be completed by Tuesday morning, in which case the last plenary session will lie held then, as provisionally arranged. This is entirely dependent on the time when the views of the governments concerned are received in London, and a postponement is not unlikely.

yesterday's discussions between Mr. MacDonald, Mr. Stimson and Mr. YVhakatsuki concerned tho so-called safeguarding clause for insertion in that part of the treaty signed by the three powers they represent. The proposed clause follows broadly a similar clause in the Washington Treaty, except that instead of the conference being summoned should any of the signatory powers consider its own position jeopardised by the action of an outside power it is now proposed that there should be consultations through diplomatic channels, and that after due notice the power affected by the accelerated building of an outside power should he entitled to increase its own programme. The clause was drafted and transmitted to Tokio for the examination of the Japanese Government. In the House of Commons to-day, a member asked whether in the discussion of this safeguarding clause the strength of the French and the Italian navies' combination was to be considered, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Snowden, replied that the clause would not. be aimed at any special fleet, or combination of fleets. AMERICAN SUPPORT (Elce. Tel. Copyrlcht—Unitod Press Asr.n.) WASHINGTON, April 17. Support for the London naval treaty was indicated to-day by Senator Borah, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, at a. conference with President Hoover.