Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-14
LONDON PREPARES
TO WELCOME NAVY
FARLEY DELEGATES
Japanese on Scene, French
and Italians Due Soon.
Americans Arrive Friday.
LITTLE SPECULATION
OVER POSSIBLE FAIL URE
Wakasuki Believes Basis for Com
promise on Submarines Can
= Be Found.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
LONDON, January l4.-The foremost
statesmen of the world are fast gather
ing in London for what. converting one
week from today, probably will be the
most momentous meeting of its kind
ever held in the British capitalize
ive-power naval limitation conference.
Given success, the conclave may re-
suit in additional guarantees of security
for the powers of the world and relief
from much of its huge burden Of mill
tary taxation. Given failure, observers
envisage possible armament races and
international suspicious which may
easily bring on threats of war.
The delegation from Japan already is
here. the Italian and French delega-
lions will arrive shortly, and the Amer1-
can delegation, headed by Col Henry l..
Stimson, American Secretary of State,
reaches London Friday from Plymouth,
arriving on the George Washington, on
which they have made the trip from
New York.
Conversation in Full Swing
Formal opening of the conference
takes place next Tuesday in the royal
chamber of the House of Lords with an
address by King George. Meanwhile
preliminary conversations, given their
precedent in the Dawes Macdonald ana
Macdonald Hoover meetings OF last
Summer and Fall already have got into
full swing and should reach even
greater momentum before the formal
converting.
Japanese British conversations started
in earnest last Thursday, with each IN
tent on outlining before the conference
stl1eir governments attitude toward va
rious technical details which are to be
threshed out in the formal conference.
Reiiiro Wakatsuki, Admiral Takarabe
and Ambassador Matsudaira met Pre-
n1ier Macdonald for two hours Thurs
day in the first of these meetings.
The conversations were resumed Fri
day morning and SATURDAY. again az
CheauerEsc Another conference was neld
Yesterday With arrival ct the Ameri-
eafis Anglo American conversations and
Franco and Italian-American CONVEX
sations will be in order, with Col. Slim
son striving to smooth out differences
which have appeared between France
and Italy.
Details of the Anglo-Japanese con-
versations have been guarded with the
utmost secrecy, but it was understood
q principal subject has been Submarines
which the British and Americans are
willing to abandon altogether. but
which Japan and France insist are nee
essary for coast defeEses,
Submarine Plan Possible.
The phrase of M. Wakatsuki Is that
submarines form necessary weapon
of defense" In an interview, however,
the former premier said there might be
some basis of compromise by which a
formula would be evolved permitting
limitation of underseas craft. Some OBJ
servers believe 1t possible this limitation
might take the form of confining sub
mersible types to those capable only of
coast defense. not permitting such
transatlantic long distance submarines
as Germany used during the war.
1t is foreseen here that the matter of
submarines will form one of the most
important topics of discussions, which
may lengthen into many hours. 1t is
felt generally the Japanese and French
will under no circumstances agree to
abolition of this type of war craft.
Estimates on length of the confer
ence vary ranging all the way from
two to four months. President Hooyer's
suggestion that the conferees should not
count time in their efforts to arrive
at a suitable understanding has been
received here most agreeably, since it
is felt that any attempt to rush the
discussions must rebound unprofitably
to the cause of peace.
There is little if any speculation over
possible breaking up Of the conference,
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