VERY WELL SATISFIED.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17994, 12 April 1930, Page 7

VERY WELL SATISFIED.

WITH CONFERENCE RESULT MR KacDONALD’S DECLARATIONTRIBUTE TO THE PRESS. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel.—Copyright. (Received April 12, 10.5 a.m.) LONDON, April 11. Mr Ramsay MacDonald has issued the following statement to jouranlists m the name of Britain: — “We are very well satisfied. I think the agreement is a substantial step in the direction towards which we have been striving in the face of difficulties which at times appeared to be almost insurmountable. We are most grateful to the press for the way it has helped us, not only for w’hat it has said, but also for what it has left unsaid.” THE RESULTS REVIEWED. A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT. HELPFUL MORAL EFFECT. (Official Wireless.) (Received April 12, 11.35 a.m.). RUGBY, April 11. The results of the Naval Confer* ence were reviewed by Mr A. V. Alexander in a speech at Sheffield. He said we had now arrived at complete agreement with Japan and the United States on all classes of ships, and, wdiat was most important to remember, upon very much lower figures than the last proposals made at tiie Geneva Conference in 1927. Moreover, the Powers had mutually agreed to waive, pending a further conference, in 1935, their rights under the Washington Treaty to build any of the capital ships provided In that treaty to he laid down from 1931 onwards. It had also been agreed to reducethe number of capital ships to the minimum figures provided for in the Washington Treaty with the least possible delay, instead of waiting until 1936. This meant the early scrapping of five British battleships, three American, and one Japanese. Mr Alexander said he thought the greatest* value of the agreement already secured, was to be found in the helpful moral effect created. There were also valuable economic' advantages in the reduction of -ex* penditure-

DRAFTING OF TREATY.

PROBABLY SIGNED ON THURSDAY. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel.—Copyright. (Received April 12, 11.5 a.m.) LONDON, April 11. Following a meeting of heads of delegations, a communique was issued stating that the meeting appointed a committee of jurists to draft a treaty, assisted by experts. A plenary session will be held on Thursday, when the treaty will be signed, if possible. The heads recognise that the drafting of the treaty is a complicated business, and may not be finished by Thursday. If not, the signing Will take place as soon after Easter as possible, and for this purpose the heads will presumably remain.

MR HOOVER’S APPROVAL.

DELEGATION COMMENDEDUnited Press Assn. —Elec. Tel.—-Copyright (Received April 12, 11.20 a.m.) WASHINGTON, April 11. Mr Hoover said to-day that he had communicated to the American Naval Delegation his approval of the results achieved. 'He commended the members of the delegation for their courageous actions and most constructive accomplishment in the abolition of competition in the construction of naval arms.