Jul, 12.
Ir would not seem that France is in any hurry to ratify the agreements concluded at the Washington Conference. More than a year and a half has passed since the Naval and the Quadruple Power Pacific Agreements were signed by the delegates; and while the Chamber of Deputies has given its assent to these, the two Nine Power Treaties relating to China have searcely been touched by the Foreign Affairs Committee and are not expected to come before the Chamber until the autumn. Between when and now, of course, all sorts of things might happen in this country to give the clear-sighted, unsentimental French deputies pause. Even in respect of what they have ratified, a good deal of mental reservation is evident. M.
Briand pointed out that the agreements were between friendly Allied countries, but, if the situation changed, France would recover her entire freedom. M. Poincaré declared that the agreement would not Juny 14, 19238. be accepted as a final limitation on French naval armaments.
And Admiral Guépratte declared that the Treaty did not impair the national sovereignty of France, who, if necessary, would find means of getting round it. The truth is that agreements for the limitation of naval or any armament, which look very pretty in the academic atmosphere of a conference, appear altogether differently to parliaments sensitive to the wishes of their constituents. Britain considered herself bound by the agreement directly she had ratified it. The Navy Department of Washington seems to have taken a different view and—curiously enough on the very day on which the French Chamber ratified the agreement—a telegram from Washington stated that the Government has decided to maintain the minimum naval force in a full state of efficiency during the next fiscal year. The decision is regarded as significant owing to the uncertain status of the Five-Powers Naval Treaty resulting from France's delay in ratifying it.
Japan would gladly be relieved of some of the costs of naval upkeep, but will not be bound if others appear unbound. Behind every other consideration is the prevailing uncertainty as to whether battleships or aircraft and submarines are to be the arm of the future.
The Quadruple Power Pacific Convention had a better reception with the French. But it is an innocuous document, merely binding the contracting parties "to respect their rights in relation to their insular possessions and insular dominions in the region of the Pacific. Ocean', and if any difference should arise beyond the scope of ordinary diplomacy, ''they shall invite the other High Contracting Parties to a joint conference to which the whole subject will be referred for consideration and adjustment."" In other words, arbitration when there is any risk of a quarrel. Bub when we come to the two Nine Power Treaties, the attitude of France will be a matter for anxious speculation, in view of recent events in this country and the @tartling demonstration, of which the Powers have been forced to take notice, of the fact that China is, politically, a mere maelstrom of greedy fortune-seekers. The crux of the situation is this. In defiance of copious and well authenticated
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.