Evening star., 1925-05-19
DROPS SHIP SEARCH
FROM ARMS PACT
American Delegate Wins
Fight Against Granting
This Right.
By the Associated Press.

GENEVA, May 19.-The amend
ment to establish the right to search
ships suspected of improperly con
veying arms was today eliminated
from the proposed convention of the
international conference for the con
troll of traffic in arms and munitions
The American delegation led the op
position to the amendment
Representative Theodore E Bur.
ton, head of the American delegation,
said the United States objected par
ticularly to the indiscriminate search
of ships which was implied under the
provision. He asserted that the pro
posed searching Of ships probably
would result in misunderstanding and
abuse. 81
Representative Burton said it was
undesirable to modify existing inter
national law, but later he agreed to a
proposal that jurists draft a declara
ton expressing the determination OF
the signers of the convention to pre-
vent clandestine traffic in arms.
Great Britain, Spain, India, Greece
and Austria were the only countries
voting in favor of the search of ships
suspected of carrying arms in viola
ton of the proposed convention.
The arms conference also voted to
day to abandon the proposed plan OF
central board under the League OF
munitions. The American delegation
had opposed such board also.
Leon Jouhaux, French labor leader
the world is being led into another
race of ornaments construction AND
that this conference has an opportuni
ity to protest against it.
Despite this appeal the conference
voted to abandon the idea of establish
ing a central board to regulate arms
traffic, and left the publication of arms
statistics to the various States.
The Aperican delegation gave notice
of it's objection to the article in the
draft convention making preliminary
recognition of any belligerent neces
sary by any arms manufacturing
country before it can unrestrictedly
ship arms to that belligerent. This
problem now goes to the judiciary
committee for report.
The American delegation also asked
the conference to delete another arti
Gle which asks the League of Nations
to publish an annual report on the op
Grafton Of the proposed arms conven'
ton.
France lost a bitter fight last night
to keep armaments of warships within
| the scope of the proposed convention
which will control by publicity inter
national trade in ornaments. After
a heated discussion, the military com
mission of the arms conference by g
vote of 16 to decided to accept the
British amendment whereby guns, am
munition and all other equipment Of
warships are dropped from the draf,
convention, and hence not subjected tt
| supervision. The United States votec
with the majority.
The British idea is that a warshir
is like a fort and that the details Of
a warship's strength should be ne
more divuIged than the actual calibei
and position of guns in a particular
land fortress.
League circles admit that the scope
of the proposed convention is grow
| ing smaller and. smaller, but recog
nize that the only way of making the
conference successful is to produce by
common consent a document which
stands chance of being ratified as ar
| initial step in the control of the traf
Ac In armaments. !