FORMULA FOUND ? NAVAL REDUCTION. AMERICA SCEPTICAL. CRUISER POWER. CAUTION NEEDED.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 182, 3 August 1929, Page 9

FORMULA FOUND ?

NAVAL REDUCTION.

AMERICA SCEPTICAL.

CRUISER POWER.

CAUTION NEEDED.

Reported Agreement By Dawes And Mac Donald. BASIS OP DISCUSSIONS. (Australian Press Assn.—United Service.) (Received 12 noon.) LONDON, August 2. The "Evening Standard" asserts that Mr. Mac Donald and General Dawes have reached a formula restricting the building of battleships, decreasing their size and prolonging the life of those now in. commissioA They declare their willingness to stop building submarines. This paper states that the formula will form the basis„ of communications to France, Italy and Japan.

Agreement Report No Relation To Facts. AUTHORITIES' BELIEF. (Australian Press Assn.—United Service.) (Received 12 noon.) WASHINGTON, August 2. The four points on which London reports say that Mr. Mac Donald and General Dawes had reached an agreement in their naval discussions are said, in authoritative sources here, to have no relation to facts. The State Department, officials declined. to comment, but -it was strongly indicated that considerable ground must be covered before anything, definite concerning a conclusive agreement was forthcoming.

Parity With Limitation Means Nothing. BORAH URGES REDUCTION. (Australian Press Assn.—United Service.) WASHINGTON, August 2. The chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Senate, Mr. W. E. Borah, was the guest of the President, Mr. Hoover,:,at luncheon yesterday. It is presumed that the impending Naval Conference was discussed. Subsequently Mr. Borah issued a statement, in the course of which he said: Parity coupled with reduction means, a great deal, hut parity coupled merely with limitations means very little. : If he understood aright the reports issued by the United States Navy Department, Britain now had 50 modern cruisers arid eight more in course of construction. These " constituted 375,300 tons. On the : other hand, Airierica now had i 18 . modern cruisers!, built or , '' under construction.- Senator Borah., j If Britain WQuld follow America's ■ example at the Washington Conference ; and sink some of her ships and - thus tome to parity it.would not .only savp the taxpayers, but reduce the incentive to war, ' . If America had to build up to parity it would vastly increase the burden of the taxpayer and augment the incentive ;to war. ' ' ■ V What America really desired was a reduction of armaments. That was the primary thing for which she was con- . tending. If parity were used to justify building huge armaments it would become a menace instead of a security. Mr. Borah said he noticed from London dispatches that Britain would not reduce her cruisers. That was very discouraging news.

Baldwin And British Naval Programme. ■ MacDONALD CRITICISED. • ~ ' LONDON, August 2. Owing to the departure for Lossiemouth of the Prime Minister, Mr. MacDonald, and a.contemplated tour of Ireland by the United States Ambassador, Mr. C. G. Dawes, it is expected that there will be a lull in. the. naval negotiations between Britain and America. Speaking at Malvern the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Baldwin, said there could be no complaint at the Government suspending a fresh naval programme if there were a real chance of an agreement with the other Powers. However, he said he thought it unnecessary and rash to interfere with the existing British programme. There was a tendency on the part of a new party in power to try to move too quickly, but "more haste less speed" was truer in international politics than in any other walk of life.