SOME PROGRESS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 15, 18 January 1936, Page 9

SOME PROGRESS

THE NAVAL CONFERENCE IMPORTANT JOINTS AGREED TO. [ British Official Wireless. ] RUGBY, Jan. 16. When the First Committee of the Naval Conference met, the chairman, Lord Monsell, submitted a letter he received from the Japanese delegation, stating that it could no longer usefully participate in the work of the Conferance The Committee agreed upon the terms of the reply to the Japanese delethen resumed its discussion on quantitative limitation and adopted unanimously the following propositions; — That an exchange of information is an essential feature of an agreement for the limitation of naval armaments, and That an advance notification or a programme is most desirable. The letter which the chairman of the Naval Conference has addressed to the Japanese delegation refers to the notification of the decision by Japanese to discontinue their participation in the deliberations, and says this decision, all delegates feel, “is a matter of real regret. Despite the difficulties created by this decision they have decided that the work of the Confer cnee shall proced.” The eludes with an inquiry as to whethi. the Japanese Government wish to sen-i observers to keep in touch with t«e work of the Conference. Good Augury. In Naval Conference circles satisfaction is expresed at the progress whuu the First Committee have been abl to make to-day despite the U“ fort ‘‘ p nate check with which the work of the Conference met in the withdrawal oi 1 the Japanese delegation. The fact that the Committee gave its unanimous approval to the two important proposi- ■ tions regarding the exchange of information is thought a good augui) for its future work. There is very general disposition to give full recognition to the difficulties of the Japanese ' Government, and no one appears to question the sincerity of the Japanese ’ assurance that they have no intention ; of embarking on a race in nava ar ■ meats. At the same time, on all sides it is emphasised that the dangers of such a race must be very great in the ’ absence of new agreements to take .he ’ place of existing treaties, and tor that ' reason the rigidity of the Japanese a - titude comes in for friendly criticism, although well-informed commentators point out that it would be premature to assume that whatever the Conference finally achieves in the way ot an agreement may not secure the sympathetic interest of Japan at a later In the meantime there is a hopeful feeling among those in closest touen with the delegations that the principles having received unanimous approval today When the Committee resumes consideration to-morrow of the three plans already submitted for the exchange of information, it will be possible to agree on general instructions for the technical sub-committee, which would go into details with a view to drafting the text of an agreement. When this qu-s : Lon has passed to the sub-committee the First Committee will open a dis eussion of the questions of qualitative , disarmament. . . Newspapers stress the great import ance of providing against competition ‘ in tvpes as one of the most dangerous forms of a naval race might assume, ' but the confidence is expressed m sev : eral quarters that agreement on the : main aspects of the question will be reached. JJ Is generally assumed that if and when, the Four-Power Confeien’ee has approved of the provisional texts of the agreements on the exchange information on naval programmes and on qualitative naval disarmament. other naval Powers not represented at the Conference would be brought into consultation for a tui) and free discussion of the results achieved. Naturally any eventual agreement would have to include a safeguarding clause enabling signatory States to denounce it if such a course were necessitated by the action of any one participating Power. I