NAVAL LIMITATIONS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 246, 31 July 1935, Page 5

NAVAL LIMITATIONS

NEW BRITISH PLAN EXPLAINED.

SCOPE OF THE DECLARATIONS

United Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, July 30.

In his statement regarding naval limitations, the leader of the House of Lords (the Marquess of Londonderry) said it was proposed! that the voluntary unilateral declarations of construction programmes should not have the force or form of contractual obligations. Nevertheless, construction figures would require to be concerted beforehand, between the Powers, and it would further be necessary that each Power should undertake not to modify its announced building programme without giving previous notice of, say, at least one year. This proposal was made to the Japanese and United States before they returned home, and! it had been described to the other signatories of the Washington Treaty. The purpose - of the Government in the recent negotiations had been to evolve, in consultation with those Powers, a system of limitation which, while avoiding expression, in contractual form of a definite relationship of naval strength, would! offer certain guarantees against a resumption of unrestricted competitive building.