Off To The U.S.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 205, 30 September 1929, Page 7

Off To The U.S.

(British Official Wireless).

THE RERENGARIA SAILS Premier's Message To Labour Party VIEWS OF THE PRESS.

(Eeceived This Day, Noon). RUGBY, Sept. 28.After a thick niist over Southampton Water had lifted, the Cunarder Berengaria, 011 ivhich the Prime Minister and his party are proceeding to the United States, moved out this morning in brigbt sunshine. Both British and American newspapers, coramenting 011 a statement made by the Prime Minister on leaving London last night and upon the cordial message sent liim by the King, emphasise the national sentiment of good will which attends his mission. Tlie Manchester Gnavdian says; "It is not merely that he is the first British Prime Minister to go on a diplomatic mission to the head of the American Government. Tt is much niore than that — he is initkting a new movement in intevnational affairs. He is attempting to put into pra'ctice the sermon of wav_ outlaivry as first conoeived in Amerira and finallv embodied in the Kellogg Paet, A B ASIS FOR REDUCTION. "Mr Ramsay MacDonald and President Hoover have delibe,rately set themselves to see ivhether the pact eannot be made a basis for an actual reduction in naval armaments." The Daily Mail says: "There is good reason to hope that the Prime Minister' s journey ivill be crowned ivith success." The paper cites the unfortified frontier which runs for thousands of miles betiveen Canada and the United States as proof that two dift'erent peoples can trust oue another and dispense with great armaments in their rejations, The Daily Express says : "Mr MacDonald has brought to the solution of the problem a tactful open-niindedness for which the Americans sliould be as grateful as ive 011 this side of the Atlantic are grateful to President Hoover." The Daily Chronicle says: "Tliey start not very far from understanding. We look to them to come to an agreement which may set the pace toivards a reduction for all naval Poivers and betiveen Britain mild America to for ever abolish competition in armaments." THE AMERICAN VIEW. Cabled extraets of New York editorials emphasise tbe American vieiv that Mr MacDonald' s visit is not merely for the purpose of negotiating details of tlie Anglo-Aniericaii naval ngreement, but is rather for tlie broader purpose of settling any differences concerning tlie methods of Anglo-Anierican co-operation for the preservation of worklwide peaqe. The Morning World, for' instance, says that an Anglo-American agreelnent on armaments has already been reached and adds, "Were Britain and America the only sea Poivers the issue ivould be for all practical purposes completelv settled. The problem confronting Mr MacDonald and President Hoover is to find means of preventing disagreement over qnestions nok directlv betiveen Britain and America' and tliis jnvolves understanding of tbe eourse of action to be taken in the five Poiver negotiations," The Prime Minister, Mr MacDonald, in the course of a message to the National Executiye of the Labour Party, which ivill he read at tlie opening session of the annual fconference to-morroiv, refers to his mission to America and descrihes it as the culmiliatioii of negotiations and exchanges of views begun ivhen the Labour Party first came into office in Juue and assiduouslir pursned ever since, NO MISUNDERCTANOINC. . He continiies, "I do not want there to be any misunderstanding as to the miture of whut ive aro attempting. Any agreement we achieve can only be anil is only intonded to bc prelixninaiy to a lurger agreement which must be reached in conference ivith other naval Poivers and later 011 in the preparator.v comniission .sitting at Geneva. "We are not trying to present any other nation or nations with 'unfait accompli' which they must take or leaye. _ Wliat ive are deterniined to avoid is that the geueral march forlvard towards disarmament may he lield up in the future as it has been in the past while the tivo great naval Poivers, ourselves and America, bait by +he way to argue about their own special difficnlties, WELL WITHIN REACH, "I think we can now say that a kind of agreement neeessary to prevent that ■ is ivell witliin reach and l go to meot President Hoover in tbe hope and' expectation that the degree of friendly understanding achieyed during many weeks of distant coriespondence ivill be strengthened and reudered closer by a feiv days of personal contact. "I also feel, "quite irrespective of the particular points ive have been discussing, that ihe estabUshment of such contact is immensely to be desired and liothiiyg could be of move vahie to in ternational goodwill than rnutual confidenco between the Govevnments or tfie United States and of Great Britain."