The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1929 . THE NAVAL RACE.

Auckland Star, Issue 38, 14 February 1929, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1929 . THE NAVAL RACE.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the tcrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, Attd the good that tee can do.

Six years ago the Great Powers, meeting in conference at Washington, agreed on a scheme for the limitation and reduction of naval armaments, with the object of preventing war. Since then further efforts have been made in the direction of ensuring the world's peace, and a short time since the Kellogg Pact for the outlawry of war was accepted amid general rejoicing. But now, in spite of all this, the Powers seem to be still engaged in a struggle for naval supremacy, and they are providing for future expenditure upon naval purposes on a larger scale to-day than at any time since the close of the Great War.

This tendency toward naval expansion has been strikingly illustrated by the United States. In spite of the Kellogg Pact and the strong anti-war movement in America, the ''big navy" party has insisted on due preparation for all contingencies so successfully that Mr. Coolidge has been induced to sign a Naval Bill providing for further construction in a very generous fashion. The only redeeming feature of this incident is that a reservation has been introduced into the Bill permitting the President to stop building operations "if a disarmament agreement is reached with the Powers." At the same time there is a strong demand for increased naval expenditure in Italy, France and Japan; and Germany, in spite of the restrictions imposed at Versailles, is projecting cruiser construction on a scale that is alarming to her neighbours and cannot bo justified by the requirements of her seaborne commerce. As a fitting conclusion to this list it may be added that Britain is now laying down two heavy cruisers which, according to well-informed authorities, would not have been constructed if it had not been necessary for Britain to keep up with the pace set by the other Powers.

It must be admitted that, to those who "love peace and ensue it," all this is very disquietening. And it is particularly embarrassing and disappointing to the very large numbers of people in Britain and America who would regard war between the two great sections of the English-speaking peoples as unspeakable and unthinkable. A way out of the difficulty has been suggested by Lord Cecil, who holds that "absolute complete mathematical equality, both in tons and guns," should be the aim of the two countries, and that on this basis full and final agreement could be reached. But as the "Manchester Guardian" has pointed out, "parity" would be likely "to provoke rather than to allay mutual suspicions and distrust" unless the "will-to-peace" were permanently and universally established. It' once the nations are firmly resolved to avoid war at all costs, the absolute or relative size of their various fleets will make little difference either to their security or to the world's prospects of an enduring peace.