The announcement that both Britain and France will take good care that the conference on the subject of Mediterranean piracy will not degenerate into a fruitless dispute over ideologies may be taken as an indication that those two countries are definitely committed to a programme which will put an end to the interference with neutral shipping by the warring parties in Spain or their sympathizers. That they will be faced with considerable difficulty is apparent from the many messages which have been received on the subject, but the decision to limit the discussions at the conference to technical matters concerning the stoppage of the present system of piracy may prove successful It should be remembered that all countries cor cerned in this matter are being placed on trial before world opinion, and by their actions may be convicted sot deeds which at the moment they are strenuously denying. It is possible to believe that all the acts complained of have been committed by units belonging to one or other of the Spanish combatants, That is, at least, the most charitable view to take of the matter, and one which, if persisted in, make it possible for any other party which may have been misguided in the past to retrace its steps. If, however, the conference results in failure through the intransigeance of some of those who have been invited to attend it, the responsibility will be theirs, though it is clear that success or failure of the conference will not mitigate the determination of the British and French governments to put an end to a state of affairs in the Mediterranean which is rapidly growing intolerable.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.