NAVAL LIMITATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 247, 17 September 1929, Page 7

NAVAL LIMITATION

FIVE-POWERS CONFERENCE. PROBABLY IN JANUARY. DOMINION REPRESENTATION. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph—Copyright). (Australian Press Association). Received September 17. 9 a.m. LONDON, Sept. 16. It is officially announced tnat Australia and New Zealand will bo invited to have separate representation at the Five-Powers Naval Conference. The conference will probably take place in the middle of January, and will be a replica of the Washington Conference. , It is authoritatively stated that the outstanding margin in the naval negotiations between Britain and America consists of America’s desire for. three extra 10,000 tonners, and Britain s wish that America should reduce the aggregate tonnage by 15,000. It is understood that Ml- Ramsay MacDonald is sanguine of bridging both difficulties during his visit to Washington next month. THOROUGH PREPARATION NECESSARY. STATEMENT BY COLONEL STIMSON. (Australian Press Association —United Service.) Received September 17, 10 a.m. WASHINGTON, Sept. 16. Colonel Stimson stated to-day that recent developments might necessitate holding the proposed Five-Power Naval Conference in Januarv instead, of in December, because of the necessity for a thorough preparation for the meeting. MR MacDONALD’S MISSION. VISIT TO WASHINGTON. (British Official Wireless.) Received September 17, 11.5 a.m. RUGBY,. Sept. 16. > On the conclusion of his six days stay in Washington, the Prime Minister will leave for New York, making a brief call en route at Philadelphia in order to renew acquaintance with doctors and others who attended lnm during the illness he contracted when last in America. According to present arrangements, Mr MacDonald will leave New York on October 14 and visit Niagara Falls, and from Buffalo he will proceed to Toronto. It is possible that lie may meet the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Mackenzie King, at Toronto on October 15, but in any event he will see Mr Mackenzie King at Ottawa on the following day and will discuss various matters with him during the three days spent there. Montreal and Quebec will later be visited. Mr MacDonald is due to leave Quebec for England on October 25.

The purpose of Mr MacDonald’s Washington visit is solely to provide an outward sign of the goodwill which, it is confidently hoped, will establish Anglo-American relations on a firmer basis than has existed sinco 1812. The small margin of difference that still remains to be settled in the naval negotiations will not be discussed at next month’s historic meeting at White House. Those differences will be taken up at the conference in London. JAPAN’S ATTITUDE. (Australian Press Association.) LONDON, Sept. 15. The Daily Telegraph’s naval correspondent minutely examines the bearing of the discussions on naval armament between Britain and Japan on other fleets, notably that of Japan. The correspondent remarks that this is of prime interest to Australia and New Zealand.

Although Japan is reported to desire the ratio to be 5-5-3$ for non-capital ships, she would under the existing ratio need to scrap some cruisers, of which she lias 70U0 more tons than America.

The correspondent states that Japan’s twenty-two cruisers, aggregating 212,000 tons, 104 Bin. guns, and 138 6 or ssin. guns, is easily second to Britain in strength. FRENCH QUERY. (Australian Press Association.) PARIS, Sept. 15. The newspapers, which are keenly discussing the impending conference, ask: “Ig Britain working for an AngloAmerican entente or an Anglo-Saxon federation? France is not content to be on the same footing as Italy in any new naval scale.” AMERICAN DELEGATION. (Australian Press Association.) Received September 17, 9.5 a.m. WASHINGTON, Sept. 15. It is expected that the United States delegation at the forthcoming FivePower Naval Conference will include Colonel Stimson, General Dawes, Mr Gibson, Admirals Jones. and Long, Commander Train, and, if he can be spared, Mr Cotton, the Under-Secretary for State.