USVI Public Records

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as a token of homage to the men of Jamaica who had laid down their lives during the great war. London, Nov. 10th—Parliament was prorogued tonight until January 30th, without ceremeny, excep the reading of the King’s speech, by the Speaker. There his been sume expectation that the Prime Minister would make a state- ment on Ireland or other matters, but beyond answering a few questions he made no speech, and t' e members haa to be content with the formal matter of the Royal speech with its prayer for the success nf the Washington Confer- ence, and the peaceful outcome o' the Irish negotiations. January 30th is only a formal:date and Parliament may be convened either earlier or later, accord- ing to political exigences. Tokie, Nov. 11th—Services in connec- tion with the burial of the late Premier Hara took place in the Temple at Morio- ka yesterday. Great crowds gathered and the procession, which followed the body to the grave, was more than a mile long. Washington, Nov. 12th.—So long as the United States and Great Britain “stick together, civilization will live’’, Karl Beatty declared last night at the first reunion of the British and the Unt- ted States officers who served with him during the war in the Grand Fiect. {ne reunion was at a dinner attended by 75 officers of the two Navies, including all ranks from Admiral to ensign. ¢ l.ondon, Nov. 12th.—Although one or t vo newspapers expressed grave disap- pointment at the JUlster Cabinet’s rejec- tion of the Govt’s. plan for a settl>ment of the Irish question, the London Press this morning wisely sees no reason to re gard the situation as more serious or the hope for settlement as being lessened. Washington, Nov. 12th.—The United ~ Qtac g conerete proposal for limitation _ paval armaments, the crux of the arms conference, was presented today by Secretary Hughes at the very open- ing of the first session. Briefly it is as tollows. A naval holiday in which all building programmes should ‘he abandoned and the older ships of the present navies scrapped, was tke key note of the United States proposals. vir. Hughes laid down four general principles. 1. That all capital ship building programmes, either actual or projected, should be abandoned. 2. That further reduction should be made through the serapping of certain of the eldor ships. 3 That in genaral, re gards should be had to the existing naval strength of the powers concerned. 4. That the capital ship tonnage should be used as the measurements of strength for ravies and a proportionaie allow- ance of auxiliary combatant crafts pre- scribed. For the United- States, the programny would scrape all the capital ships uler construction, fifteen in SL. Lol & A VIS number and fiffeen of the older battle- ships. Great Britain would stop con- struction on her four new ships of the Hood type and serap all her second hand first line battleships up to the King George V. class. Japan would abandon plans for two battleships and four bat- tle eruisers, not yet laid d»wn, and in ad- dition would scrap three capital ships and four battle cruisers in process of construction and all ten of the pre- dreadnaughts and battleships of the. se- cond line. As a replacement’programme, the United Scates Govt proposes that no more ships be laid down for the next ten years and that a maximum repiacement tonnage figure be fixed, providing even tually for 50J,000 tns oHr in 2 Unictad States, 500,000 tons for Great Britain and 300,000 for Japan. Washinzion, Nov. 12th -T'ie coafer- ence on the limitation of armaments met in its first session tuoday to seek “*the ruale under whicen reason and rigat- eousness shall prevail’’. Although the opening hour of the fi st session was set for ten thirty o’clock, the notables began arriving soon after ten, to hear th: open- ing address of the President, and to form their permanent “rgaaization with Secratary Hughes as President of the Conference. The gallery alloted to the reprasentatives of official and diplomatic life the world ovea, contained many nota- ble figures of presear day history. Mr. Balfour, nomirated Mr. Hughes for Chairman of the Con!erence. The Presi- dent, in his address at the opening of the confereace, said Mr. Secretary and mem bers of the eonference, ladies and gentle- men, it i 3 a great and happy privilege to bid the deiezates to this conference a cordiai welecome to the Capital of the United States of America. It is not only a satie/metioa w greet you beeangse we were la ely participantsin a ¢ommon cause in whien we shared sacrifices and sorrows and trinmphs, which brougnt our Nations more closely togeiher, but it is gratify- ing to addr:ss you as the spokesman for Nations whse e¢onvic ons anld atteading actions have 0 inuch to do with *he weal or woe of all mankind. It is not possi- ble to over applaud tae importance of such a conference [t is not unseemly by no disparagemen: of othei Nations, whien, though not represented, are here in highest respect, to deciare that tae conelusinn of this body wili hav: a signal influence on all human progress and on the foriunes of the World. Here is a meeting, [ can well believe, which is aa earnest of the awakened conseience of 20th ceniury civilization. It is not a con- vention of remorse, noi a s=ssion of 30r- row. it is notthe conference of victors to define terms of settlement,nor is ita coun- cil of Nations to remake human kind. it is racher a comiag together irom all parts of the Barth to apply the better atiributes of wankisd and t- mizimize the faults in our internaciocal ralation- ships. 9Speaking as official sponsor for the invitations, I think T may say the call is not of the United States of America alone, it is rather the spoken word of a war-wearied World, strug- gling for restoration, hungering and thirsting for better relationship of hu- manity, crying for relief and eraving as- surances of lasting peac®. It is easy to understand the world wide aspiration. The glory of triumph, the rejoicing in achievements, the love of liberty, the devotion to their country, thepangs of sorrow, the burdens of debt, the deso- lation of ruin, all these are appraised alike in all lands. Here in the United States we are but freshly turned trom the burial of an unknown soldier, when a Nation sorrowed while paying him tribute. Whether it was spoken or not, a hundred millions of people were sum- marizing the inexcusable cause, the in- caleulable cost, the unspeakable sacrifice and the unutterable sorrows and there was the ever impelling question how can humanity justify or God forgive. Human hate demands no such’ toll, am- bition and greed must be denied it. If misunderstanding must take the blame, then let us banish it and let understanding rule and make good will r2ign everywhere. All of us demand liberty and justice. - There cannot be one without the other, and they must be held the unquestioned pessession of all peoples. Inherent rights upr- of God and the tragedies of the World originate in their attempted denial. The World today is infringing their enjoyment by arming to defend or dery, when sanity calls for their recoy nition through common understandiqg, Out of the cataciysm of the World War came newn iellowship., new convie- tions, :ew aspirations. It is ours to make the most of them. A world stag- gering with debt needs its burdens lifted, Humanity, whicn his been sh cked by wanton destruction, would minimize the agencies of thar desiruction. Contemp lating the measureless cost of war and the continuing burden of armaments, all thoughtiul people wish for real lim: tation of armamenis, and would hke war outlawed. by soberest reflection the world’s hundreds of millions who pay in peace and die in war wisu their slatesmen to turn the expendiiures for destruciion into means of econs'ruction aime.d at a higher state for t .Ise who live and lollow affter. It is ni¢ alene that rhe vorid cannot readjust atsei and cast aside the excess burdens with- out reliel from rhe leaders of men. War has grown progressively cruei and more destructive. from the firs. recorded con- flict to this present day, and the re verse order would more becoine our boasied civiiization. Constantiople, Nov. 13th—1'he British light cruiser Cardiff, bearing former Emperor Charles of Ausitia-Hungary and his wife Zita o their exile in he istand o Madizra, left here today.