DISSENSION AMONG DOMINIONS DENIED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18985, 3 February 1930, Page 1

DISSENSION AMONG DOMINIONS DENIED.

PRIME MINISTER GIVES A FULL EXPLANATION. (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) LONDON, February 2. One of the most regrettable features at the Naval Conference are the hitherto persistent attempts to raise imaginary dissensions amongst the delegation of the British Commonwealth. The French Press has readily seized upon and magnified the situation, which died a speedy death to-day, however. Three London journals boldly came out with the new sensation that the committee agreed upon at Thursday’s plenary session had not been constituted, but was being supplanted by a committee of the whole, because the dominions had impossibly insisted upon full representation on the smaller body. The source of this statement is perhaps indicated by the mass of French comment telegraphed back to London from Paris to-day. It shows the special French correspondents telling France that the dominions had put Mr MacDonald in an embarrassing position, and he Was making an appeal to the nations on Friday to mend the procedure in order to meet the dominions’ protest. “Le Matin,” goes so far as to sneer at the self-made importance of some of the navyl6ss dominions that are hampering the work of the Conference. The Australian Press Association has Mr MacDonald’s authority to state that the sole reason behind the creation of a committee of the whole, instead of the smaller bqdy, was the general recognition that the tonnage problem was most awkward. It involved discussion among the experts and consultations which could not freely be undertaken by the smaller committee, on which each nation had only one or two delegates. His suggestion for a committee of the whole for the sake of flexibility was readily assented to by everybody. It is expected that the committee set up on Tuesday will get down to figures and try to fill in the blanks in the draft French plan. This does not mean that the Conference will concentrate <*n this to the exclusion of everything 'else, but, while the leaders and experts Are busy on this, the remainder will hold a preliminary discussion on other items of business.