Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-22
D|SCORD OVER NAV|ES
Serious Differences Deadlock
International Conference.
MAY DEFEAT AGREEMENT
American Delegates Stand Firm for
Continuous Voyages"
THEY HAVE CONCEDED MUCH
Great Britain Anxious to Heal
Breach and Arrive at Mutual
Understanding.

LONDON, January 22.-There is a grow
ing impression here that the powers will
not be able to reconcile their differences,
and that the international naval confer
ence. which opened here last month, is
doomed to failure.
Great Britain Is working desperately to
canceling the meeting called for this
morning, after arranging that the COM
mittee shall take up the discussion of
technical subjects only.
These committee meetings will be con-
tinued until the delegates. whose insis-
tence that the views of their governments
shall prevail, brought about the deadlock.
have received more definite instructions.
America is included in this group.
Americans Will Not Yield.
The American delegates, acting on in
structions from Washington. refused par
ticularly to concede anything on the ques-
ton of continuous voyages This ques-
ton is regarded as vital by the United
States.
Having made concessions to the other
powers on points regarded by them to be
vital. she is now looking for little re-
ciprocity. Up to the present this has not
been forthcoming.
Great Britain is partly responsible for
this situation. Having suffered during the
RuSSo-Japanese war from the enforce
ment of principle which she always had
upheld. and in which America agreed with
her, she has now been partly converted to
the continental view.
The American delegates continue to
maintain reticence. 1t has been learned
that they have held from the start that
America was ready to make reasonable
concessions which did not mean a too
great impairment of her interests and
which were not wholly in conflict with her
laws and policies
With regard to the deadlock it was sug-
Sested today that such condition might
be brought about as much by one party
as the other.
Last week the conference was proceed
ing smoothly. Delegates were predicting
that an agreement would be reached Feb
ruary l, and code of laws drawn up and
signed by the middle of the month.
They are far less optimistic today.
While they believe it still possible to
reach agreement they do not think it
probable even on such technical QueS-
tions as what shall be considered contra
band. matter with which the committee
is now dealing.
On this question the powers hold widely
divergent views. To many delegates the
difficulties appear insurmountable.
Proposed Naval Code.
The nterna tional naval conference was
called by Great Britain to frame code
of laws for naval warfare and to es-
tablish the international prize court as
recommended by The Hague peace con-
ference.
The conference was to determine as
many definite principles of maritime in
ternational law possible. The United
States. Great Britain. France, Germany,
Italy, Austria-Hungary. Russia. Spain,
Holland and japan are represented.
The Americal delegates are Rear Ad-
miral Charles H. Stocaton and Prof.
George Grafton Wilson of Brown Uni
versity. Commander John H. Gibbons,
American naval attache at London, has
been acting as aid.