Near Deadlock

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 36, 14 March 1930, Page 7

Near Deadlock

(British Official Wireless.)

THE NAVAL C0WFERENCE Conversations Clear Air A Little % ~ * ' - FRANCE AND ITALY ©IFFER

((Eeceived Xhis Day. Noon.) RUGBY, March 13. Determined efforts have been made to-day to overcome the difficulties Which had bronght the Naval Conference to an spparent impasse. These efforts. have been mainly in» the course of private conversations,, which Mr Ramsay MacDonald has had at No. 10, Downing Street, with each of the other chiet delegates in turn. . . * He saw Mr Wakatsuki this morning and Mr Stimson to-night, but partieular interest attaches to the conversations he had this afternoon, first with Signor Grandi and afterwards with M. Briand, who remained for nearly two hours. The effect of these conversa- " bions is anthoritatively described as encouraging. Difficulties still exist and are considerable, but the deadiock is by no •_ means complete. Tn addition to the private conversations already mentioned, Mr Stimson. and M. Briand had a long talk this morning, while M. Pietri, the French Coloni'al Minister, called on Signor Grandi. , Importance is attached to the nnpending an-ival of the French Prime Minister, M. Tardieu, who is expected m London to-morrow night or Saturday mormrig. _ It is generally felt in conference circles that the crnx of the difficulties which are placing the raajor issues of the conference in doubt lies in the Franco-Italian relations; Italy claims parity with France andi France, arguing' tnat she possesse3 three seaboardsj considers that the claim is unjustified. fljgh French figures are in the maui a refiection of this state( of mind and m turn may affect the naval requirements of Great Britain, with whom the United States desires parity. [ It is therefore assumed that the purpose of 'to-day conversations of the Prime Minister with Signor Grandi and M." Briand was so to use the situation that a substantial scaling down or the French figures can be effected. The conversations are likely to ba continued to-morrow and after M. Tardieu's arrival, for it is felt that the , conference was to-night • further removed from a deadiock than it was this morning. M. Briand, who saw press represen- / tatives this evening, said that he' was not going back to France until the end oi the week. He was' still confident the conference could come.to definite results in the general interests of peace