THE NEXT STEP.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 184, 6 August 1927, Page 9

THE NEXT STEP.

ARMAMENT ACTIVITY. |

Limiting World's Great Navies By Public Opinion.

AMERICAS PLAN.

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. ;<>.:» a mi WA.-HIN'fjTU.V, August .3. ; Following the failure of the Geneva Conference, tho Coolidge Administra-1 tion's next disarmament activity is i expected to be an effort to limit the j world'* gT'-a' navies through the! force of public opinion. ' The United States is already scheduled [ to call a Fivc-I'owcr Disarmament Con-1 ference early in 10.TI under the terms of I the Washington Treaty of I'AJI. i Meantime officials intend to make! limitation a subject for general discus- i •ion by the citizenry of the United, States and other countries and their j officials. | President Coolidge is expee'ed to take i a tirm stand tli«.' anticipated big navy campaign ut the icnt Congress.' although he favour* reasonable in- , creases. Mr. Wilbur, chairman of flu; Naval: Committee, is proceeding to Rapid City: to confer on the situation with the President and aUo to discu-s tho next naval budget. Britain Responsible. The outstanding feature-* of the situa- : tion noted here are: — First: That American officials arej Irm in holding that Britain is respon- i *ible for the failure of the conference, j Second: At the same time they emphasise the good feeling between the j two nations, apparently with the purpose of offsetting the big navy move- ; ment. Third: The bonds of friendship be- | tween the United States and Japan | appear to be stronger than ever, the ' Oriental delegates having supported the American proposals of limitation. Fourth: The United States will continue inferior to Britain in cruiser strength but superior in destroyers for j several years at least. A Williamstown message states that; Sir Arthur Willert, chief of the Press ' Department of the British Foreign Office.! declared that Britain would continue; building to meet her needs irrespective j of other nations. ;

AS FRANCE SEES IT

America's Imperialistic Ambitions Blamed. GERMANY THINKS IT A FARCE. (Xeceired 10 a.m.) PARIS, August o. "Lb Journal" state* that the breakdown of the Geneva Conference was due to the United Siries, who have been preparing for naval supremacy at a small cost. "The United States Imperialistic ambitions, first manifested in the Spanish war, have grown throughout the country without a halt. The riches accumulated during the war placed the United States in a position comparable with Germany's just before the war." "Le Statin" considers that the ideal ef the limitation of armaments should be applied to all military matters, of each country. A message from Berlin is to the effect that the "Deutsche Zeitunjr" describes the conference as a comedy foredoomed to failure. The only result is retention of the old naval programme. Conso quently, fierce naval competition is possible.