CONFERENCE ON NAVAL STRENGTH.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 94, 21 April 1924, Page 3

CONFERENCE ON NAVAL STRENGTH.

BPAnrs axxocatxoh. AMERICAN REPUBLICS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, February 23. The conference on armaments now being held at Rome is sitting in camera, but certain facts about its discussions have emerged. It is at least a fact that newspapers usually well informed are fairly agreed in reports of what i> happening. Work seems directed in the first place to obtain general acceptance by the Powers of the rule laid down at last year's Genevan Conference to adopt the status quo to-day as a basis. This was not to be, for the smaller powers— with the exception of Sweden which I accepted its present 60,000 tonnage—in Northern Europe asked for and obtained an increase; Norway being allocated 16,000 tons, Denmark 18,000 and Holland 26,000. There are new orientations due to the war and its harvest of bad treaties, for Greece asked to be allowed a naval tonnage on an equality with Turkey, a request granted by the conference. Turkey was not, however, represented at the conference. Russia, it would appear, asked for an allocation of 490,000 tons justifying her demand by the plea that she faced four seas and wishes to maintain four fleets. Only in this way could she avoid being in an inferiority to Sweden in the Baltic. The conference, however, would not deal with Russia's naval strength. Spain was another power which asked for a big tonnage 105,000 and this too was ■ refused. Finally, Spain was allocated 80,000 tons, a figure which puts her on an equality with shades of Cortez!-—the South American Republics. These, Brazil, Chile and the Argentine were allotted each 80,000, this on the understanding that the Argentine agreed, the last named Republic not having an official representative present. Chilu and Brazil are in three years' time to begin construction of 35,000 tons at the same time scrapping some of their old warships. From this account of the proceedings of the conference, it would appear that. there has—instead of disarmament—been a demand for an increase of naval construction in various quarters. But since the conference of which nothing has officially been published was one of naval experts, it was hardly to 'be expected that they would have been over keen on reduction. Since, however, the report of the conference will have to be laid before the L.O.N, at Geneva there iray yet be a scaling down of the tonnage of naval strength. The League is at least credited with a desire to achieve this by way of mutual concessions.