WASHINGTON CONFERENCE

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14769, 7 October 1921, Page 5

WASHINGTON CONFERENCE

JAPANESE DELEGATE’S ViEWS. WILL STRIVE FOR PEACE. MENACE OF MISCHIEF MAKERS. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) Received October G, 5.5 p.rn. NEW YORK, October 5. The Philadelphia Public Ledger’s Tokio correspondent interviewed Prince Tokugawa. the. head of Japan’s delegation In the Washington conference, who declared, "It is my hope, which I will strive with all sincerity to make a reality, that from the conference will come all the benefit for mankind which Piesident Harding hoped for when he called the nations together. Every effort must be made to surround the cleegal.es with an atmosphere of mutual trust and willingness to undersund li\e other man’s viewpoint. We must be slow to believe the ill of cuhcrs that will be told by the, professional agitators who will be busy in Washington. There are mischiefmakers in other countries who do not wish to sec Japan and the United States good friends, as such friendships are against their interests. They even h r at a Japanese-American war. We must do all we possibly can to make the absurdity of these hints manifest. It is apparent we in Japan suner from rash, hot-headed mischief-making journalists and authors, one of the worst of whom published a book entitled, "A Dream of War Between United slates and Japan.” Even to dream of such an eventuality is fantastic. Much of the*, world’s troubles is due to Ilie failure of the nations to understand one anolher. One of (he ways in which Japan is misunderstood is that she is continually charged with militarism, and F hope to show that this accusation is not deserved. lam essentially a civilian and never had military training or connections, and 1 am peace-loving. Thus, at least one Japanese delegate will enter the conference in a stale of mind for making a Jfipanesc-Amcrican war impossible. AUSTRALIA’S REPRESENTATIVE. MR 0. F. PEARCE TO GO. (United Press Association.) MELBOURNE, October C. The Cabinet has decided tiiat Mr 0. F. Pearce, Federal Minister for Defence shall represent Australia at the Washington Conference.. Later. Mr Hughes’ announcement in the House of Representatives that Mr Pearce had been appointed a delegate to the Washington conference provoked considerable criticism by the Labour Party. Messrs Rest, Watt and others contended I hat Mr Pearce’s qualifications were not high enough.

The Telegraph's correspondent suggests that the Government selected Mr Pearce in the hope that he will he acceptable to New Zealand as a delegatefrom Australasia.