NAVAL STRENGTH

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 245, 30 July 1935, Page 5

NAVAL STRENGTH

BRITAIN’S POLICY EXPLAINED.

LIMITATION STILL FAVOURED

(United Press Association —Copyright) (Received) This Day, 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, July 29.

Replying to a question by Viscount Cecil in the House of Lords concerning the announced: abandonment by Britain of the principle of naval ratios, the leader of the House (the Marquess of Londonderry) stated that there had been no change in the policy of the British Government which so far as it was concerned would) gladly see continuation of the system of limitation embodied in the Washington Treaty. But in order to avoid a race in naval armaments after the naval treaties expire in 1936, account had to be taken of the desires and susceptibilities of the countries holding other views. In recent conversations with Japan and the United States it would) seem that the only hope of preserving some form of quantitative naval limitation lay m eliminating from a future figures which appeared to constitute a ratio and' substitute a system under which each Power would make ,a voluntary unilateral declaration ot its constiuction programme for a period of years, say, 1937 to 1942. The British Government also considered it of the utmost importance to reach an agreement on qualitative limitations to replace those in the treaties which expire at the end of 1936.—British Official Wireless.