Evening star., 1921-06-07
CANADA FOR APACT
AGREEABLE TO U. S.
Prime Minister Leaves for
. London Conference-May
Oppose Jap Alliance.
By the Associated Press.


QUEBEC, June 6.-Arthur Neigh
en-. prime minister of Canada, sailed
for London today to attend the i'm
perial conference of British prime
ministers and leading statesmen
where he will press for consideration
renewal of the Anglo-Japanese al
lance as one of four questions which
are sufficiently important to be set
tied at this conference.
Although the agenda of the meet
ing contains no fewer than fourteen
subjects, eight of major Importance
that only the following are capable
of being definitely debated now:
l. Preparation for the special con-
stitutional conference to be held at a
later date. this preparatory discus
sion to include such questions as the
meeting place. date, composition and
agenda-
2 "A general review of the main
features of the empires foreign re-
latlonS problems, particularly as they
affect the dominions.
j. ACCESSIBILITY of renewing the
Anglo-JapaneSe alliance. which, un-
der its terms. expires July IS.
4. Preliminary consideration of some
working method of arriving at a
common understanding as to policies
III SAleTudl audlTS lldt concern All
parts of the empire. this subject to be
preparatory for the proposed consti-
tutional conference later.
Treaty Most Important.
The most important of these ques-
tIonS, in the minds of most Canadians,
will be the Anglo-Japanese treaty
and it has been intimated from Lon
don that the British government will
not renew it unless the dominions
favor it.
Thus far Mr.. Meighen has not pub
licly proclaimed his position on the
question. but it is understood in re-
liable circles that he will support
the treaty'S renewal only upon the
condition that it is satisfactory to
the United States. Under existing cir
CumStanceS it is believed he will be
influenced by evidence proving that
such an alliance would serve the best
interests OF the British people. The
majority of members in the Canadian
house of commons hold the same view,
with the stipulation that the treaty
should be executed in such way as
not to antagoniZe the United States
or impair British chances of greater
friendship with the American people.
The conference, which opens at 10
Downing street June 21 is the first
of it's kind in the history of the
British empire. 1t represents the
first attempt to have the dominions
empire. differing entirely from the
imperial war conference. which con-
cerned itself solely with affairs of
defense and from the imperial war
cabinet. conference of selected min
listers of the various governments of
the United Kingdom. which has no
successor in peace times
Called primarily to lay the founda-
tionS for greater constitutional
gathering later. the forthcoming con-
ference owes it's genesis to the i'm
perial conference of 1917.
The Canadian prime minister is par
ticularly anxious to po-tpone discus
sion of the question G. military and
naval defense. He has taken the
ground that the present conference
affords neither the time nor the place
for considering armaments, and he will
propose that this problem be taken
up at the constitutional conference
later. BY that time he expects yes
ent international conditions t ave
cleared and naval experts Themselves
to have reached some agreement as
to the most usefC- type of lighting
craft to build.