New-York tribune., 1899-06-14
TERMS OFNAVAL WARFARE
PEACE DELEGATES FAVOR APPLrCA.
TION OF GENEVA CONVENTION.
sUB.coMMrTTEEs REPORT SHOWS MARKED
ADVANCE IN NEGOTIATIoNs-sTATE-
MENT BY AMERICANS.

ADVANCE IN NEGoTIATIoNs-sTATE-
MENT BY AMERICANS.
The Hague. June 13-The Red Cross sub-com.
mittee OF the Peace Conference has reported IA
favor OF applying the Geneva Convention to
naval warfare This is regarded as highly
important advance.
The subcommittee met to-day. Professor A.
ser, Of the Dutch delegation, presiding. TO hear
the report OF Professor Louis Renault OF the
French delegation, on the extension Of the
Geneva Convention to naval warfare
The report, in the unanimous opinion OF tAs
delegates, Is a mastery piece Of work All IN.
essential principles Of the original scheme. a,
embodied in the report. were agreed to. although
several amendments to details were sub
mitted.
Professor Asser pointed out the necessity w
communicating to enemy exact list n
hospital ships
Captain Alfred T. Mahan, Of the United State,
delegation, will on Thursday submit an amend.
ment defining the status OF shpwrecked Der.
sons and wounded men. rescued accidentally by
neutral vessels.
Count de Grelle- Rogar. Of the Belgian dele.
CATION, proposed to-day modification OF CLAUSE
10 Of the Convention dealing with shipwrecked
wounded and sick men when landed in a neutral
port
MAY CHANGE RED CROSS FLAG.
The question was also considered OF replaclns
the Red Cross flag by one without religious ss.
nlfcance, the Turkish and Siamese Govern
ments having made declarations on this point
All these matters will be disposed Of at Thurs
days meeting of the subcommittee. which will
then report and there is no doubt that Pro.
fessor Renaults report will finally be adopted
The preamble ndorses the application n
naval warfare of the principles of the Geneu
Convention OF 1864 and the Supplementary
clauses of 1868. EndeavoTing TO reconcile the
various conflicting interests, II recognizes the
necessity OF not hampering belligerens in leglti.
mate action while modifying unnecessary SUI.
fering These considerations met with the ap.
probation Of all the Powers. especially Of Great
Britain and the United States.
The adaptation of the principles OF the
Geneva Convention to naval warfare Is regard
ed as the first real achievement OF the Con-
ference.
The Brussels Committee held short session
to-day, reporting progress
At the headquarters Of the American delegs-
tion II was said to-day that there was no truth
In the articles published in the United States
regarding the opposition OF Germany TO arbi-
tration in general II was added that nothing
in the dispatches sent by the delegation to
Washington justified such statements.
AMERICANS MAKE A STATEMENT.
The American delegation has prepared the fOl'
lowing statement:
In view OF the misleading statements pub
lished in America regarding the course OF ths
Drafting Committee of the Arbitration Commit.
tee and the exact position Of the American pro-
posals. you may say that the American plan
for a permanent tribunal. which had been cor
rectly set forth in the American papers, mas been
referred with other similar plans TO the Draft
ing Committee This committee will report TO
the full commission on arbitration the exacf
text OF the American proposals as submitted.
and also the exact text Of all other proposals
submitted as the Drafting Committee shall pro-
visionally recommend The commission on aroi-
tration and afterward the Conference VIII tnen
finally pass on the various projects. The fact
that in the Drafting Committee the English pro-
posals have been used as the basis or discusslon
does not indicate in the least the abandonment
OF any other plans. II is not expected that ina
Drafting Committee will be ready 10 report 70
the commission on arbitration in week or ten
davs. and all statements regarding its WORK or
/ attitude are mere surmise.'
Sir Julian Pauncefote head Of the British
delegation. this evening emphatcally connrme0
| this statement