Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-06
JAPAN BACKS j. s.
NAVAL CUT MOVE:
Ready to Agree to Equitable
ReduCtion-Britain and
France Concur.
BY the Associated Press.


GENEVA, May 6.-N. Sato. japanese
disarmament spokesman, told the pre-
paratory commission on disarmament
today his government had authorized
him to say Japan accepted the Amer
lean point Of view that there should be
effective reduction in national arma-
ments.
N. Sato's announcement was in the
course of a proposal to adjourn discus
sion of the naval question until some
future meeting of the Disarmament
Commission
N. Sato said his government wished
to render homage to Ambassador Glib
son, the American delegate to the con-
ference, whose proposals, he said, had
tended to contribute considerably to the
important work of reduction of naval
ornaments. He pledged Japan's loyal
and sincere support to all proposals
based on an equitable and reasonable
foundation.
British Back His Stand.
Lord Cushendun. British delegate,
answered the japanese, warmly lauding
his governments initiative. He re-
marked that the naval difficulty had
been one of the chief obstacles to dis
armament and that when they arrived
at Geneva they were not too hopeful.
but the situation had been altered by
the recent declarations of Ambassador
Gibson.
These declarations. he said. while
containing no precise proposals, did
suggest methods whereby an eValuation
of warships might be reached. The
study necessary to that, he remarked,
could not be done in a day or a week.
He assumed the United States would
communicate its proposals to other gov
ernmentS and that all this would take
time, depending upon the technicalities
to be covered.
Instead of despair" he said. eve
now have a most hopeful frame of mind
that we will be able to come back and
register complete agreement on this
great naval question. That will be an
achievement which not only will fur
nish cause for congratulation to our
selves, but to the whole world"
France to Cooperate.
Count Massigli spoke for France, and
assured the commission his government
would do everything in its power to
hasten an agreement on naval queS-
tons and thus permit the preparatory
conference to complete its work in ar
ranging for an international conference.
Gen. Alberto de Marinis Of Italy then
said his government would support the
proposal for adjournment in order to
enable the governments to study the
American disarmament proposals.
Ambassador Gibson then took the
floor and concurred with the proposal
to postpone consideration of the naval
chapter of the draft treaty of the COM
mission until such time as the most
interested powers had signified to the
chairman their readiness to embark
upon general discussion.
M. Litvinoff. in a long address, called
the work of the commission a failure.
saying it had gone backward instead of
forward. He declared it would be futile
to have another session and urged the
speedy convocation of an international
conference which the Soviet govern
ment was willing to attend in the hope
that the peoples of the world would
meantime force their governments to
agree to a genuine reduction in arma-
mentS.
Sees Soviet INDICATED.
"By our presence here and our pro-
posals for disarmament" he said, we
have nipped in the bud the legend that
the Soviet Union is an obstacle to gen.
eral disarmament. The Soviet Union OF
all countries lies under the greatest
menace, being the object of hostility and
unfriendliness on the part OF the
whole bourgeois world"
When he had concluded the chair
announced postponement OF the dis
cusSion of the naval chapter of the
draft treaty until the naval powers had
concluded their own discussions on 1t.