NAVAL DEBATE

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 72, 20 January 1930, Page 5

NAVAL DEBATE

DELEGATIONS GATHER “WHAT Will ITALY DO?” A SUGGESTION Or' “SCEAP THE LOT.”' PARITY JUST~ \ DREAM | LONDON, Jan. IS. ! The Daily Mail gives prominence to a telegram from Geneva to the effect that Signor Grand!'s speech on Tuesday may be as startling as Mr Hughes * speech at Washington in 1921. I Signor Mussolini wants his delegate to announce the startling proposals which are that Italy is prepared, if other nations will follow, suit, to scrap practically her entire fleet. The Italian Government realise that,any agreement reached at the conference will leave Italy one of the weakest naval powers. Accordingly, a complete naval disarmament is obviously to her advantage. The finanacial position of Italy makes naval parity with Franco an idle dream.

Apart from this opening gesture, Signor Grand! will offer the support of Italy to any American demand for drastic reductions. Signor Mussolini considers it intolerable that strong powers should be able to leave weaker brethren in a state of hopeless inferiority.

BENEATH “DEATH OF NELSON”

A FULLY TAXED LORDS GALLERY . 380 JOURNALISTS EXPECTED . LONDON, Jan. 18. _ Less than a seventh of th* space in the Royal Gallery at the House of Lords will be occupied by delegates at the horseshoe table at the opening of Tuesday’s conference. The remainder will be crammed tight to accommodate 380 journalists from all parts of the world. There will be no room to sup* ply tables for them, so they will have to' write on their knees. It will bo a magnificent scene. The seating gallerys arc in gold, with knotted, scarlet panels and a gild freize, with imposing paintings, in which there is a striking association, a contract between the epic martial event ox history and the present world attempt to escape from more fearsome modern methods of destruction. Delegates will sit immediately beneath a huge Mural canvas of Nelson’s Death at the Battle of Trafalgar. Facing them will be another, the “Battle of Waterloo. It will be a wonderful occasion to winch the whole world will be listeners if the atmospherics behave themselves. AMERICA’S POLICY TALK OF DRASTIC REDUCTIONS NEW YORK, Jain 18. The Herald-Tribune’s Washington correspondent states, in advance, the announcement of a formal policy by the American delegation in London. “It is learned, officially, to-day that. Ihe United States is prepared not only to declare for a five years’ battleship holiday, but to scrap, permanently, 11 capital ships which would become obsolete at the end of the holiday. It can be announced, on the same high authority. that as an alternative, as drastic reductions in battleship fleets e United States is prepared to recommend reductions in authorised size o± finital ships from 3.1.000 tons to considerably less than 25,000, the lowest figure yet proposed by Britain for capital ships of the future.

CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES.

CONFERENCE FACES DIFFICULT PROBLEMS. Press Association —Copyright. (Received 9-10 a.m.) LONDON, January 19 The first effective work of the naval conference will he done on Monday morning, when the heads of the delegation will meet to settle the procedure for postponing the session. The Observer’s diplomatic writer sets out nine controversial issues amongst them being; France and Japan are rigidly opposed to the Anglo-American demand for the abolition of submarines: japan is likely to soften her opposition to the abolition submarines to some extent if the British Empire and the United States will do the same to Japan’s claim for 10/10/7 ratio instead of 5/5/3 ratio for cruisers; Should Italy's demand for parity with France be discontinued there is a rumour that Signor Graudi contemplated employing a guesture similar to Litvino’s at Geneva in favour of the total abolition of Navies. It is considered Italy may ultimately make such a demand if parity with France is unobtainable by other means. M, Biland has arrived in London and be expressed the opinion, that the conference jwas facing a difficult problem. He stated “There will be as much to do to outside as inside the conference room. I am hoping to return to Paris within ten days. The appointment of expert committees will be made and thereafter Mr Tarlieu 'and I shall alternate between Lou- , don and Paris.”