Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-15
Agreement Is Virtually Com
pIeted, Declares Ameri-
can Spokesman.
MORROW SURE OF SAILING
WEEK FROM TOMORROW
Rate of Progress Indicates Pact
Will Be Ready for Signing
April 20.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, April 15.-The American
and British naval delegations today
reached agreement regarding the So
called safeguarding or "escalator" clause
for the naval treaty, by which powers
signing the trt-lateral limitation pact
may protect themselves against COM
petitive building by non-signatories.
The clause, 1t was understood, will be
considerably broader that article XXI
Of the Washington treaty, designed Tor
q similar purpose. BY its provisions
the navy of any Of the three signatory
powers may be increased to meet IN
creases In navies of non-signatory
powers, with resulting raising Of the
levels of the other two signatory powers.
An American spokesman described
the agreement as virtually completed.
He said 1t was reached by Secretary
Stiuason and Prime Minister Macdonald
just before the premier left Tor SCOT
land to spend the Easter holidays. IL
was understood the only remaining Gea-
ture to be settled Is Worolng 1or NJ
clusion in the treaty.
Morrow Makes Prophecy.
Ambassador Morrow, the American
member of the treaty drafting COM
mittee. set himself up as a prophet
this morning and became Immediately
popular with the American delegaCon
by forecasting that they would be anle
to sign the treaty and still eaten tne
Leviathan home next wednesday morn
ing. He said that at the rate the COM
T1ittee was progressing they would have
the document ready for signature az
next tuesdays plenary session.
The Leyiathan Is due to sail from
Southampton at about noon Tuesday.
Il obviously will have to be held up TO
allow the American delegation to get
aboard. but probably not later than
early wednesday morning, although
the ships owners offered to delay its
departure a full "a hours. Delay ana
departure of great liner like the Le-
viathan to such an extent is almost I'm:
T,recedented, and has been a matter OF
considerable wonder In British ship
ping circles.
Six voluminous and technical re-
rE,ortS of the first committee OF the con-
ference were issued this morning. These
reports comprise all the work done at
the conference and contain practlca!ly
all the material which viii form the
treaty. They were given formal ap-
proval at yesterdays plenary session
Although Aristide BRAND, French
foreign minister, already Is back IN
Paris, and departure Of Dino Grand,
italian foreign minister, for Rome to-
day will leave the Rome delegation
without its head, it was said both would
return here after Easter to be present
at next Tuesdays plenary session, when
the treaty will be signed.
Controversy sim Exists.
The real limits of Italian and French
participation in the treaty which Is
bring drawn up here have never been so
evident as at yesterdays plenary session,
when announcement was made that
original Italian reservations still held.
Controversy exists even on just what
distractions are to be included In the
preamble. Agreement, it appeared from
yesterdays plenary session, is confined
to:
Definition of destroyer and of special
and exempt ships; replacement rules to
cover ships not mentioned in Washing
ton treaty; a battleship holiday with
France and Italy reserving right to build
two ships each allowed them in the
Washington treaty and never construct
ed; limitation of submarine size and
rules for disposal Of capital ships and
average vessels.
The French and Italian attitudes will
be explained In detail, it was expected
today, at the closing plenary session.
The other delegates are expected to keep
their speeches short, Stressing those as
poets Of the parley which were q success
rather than those which were failure.