ITALY DISAPPOINTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 292, 10 December 1929, Page 7

ITALY DISAPPOINTED.

Finding Basis For Armaments Discussion. AMERICA'S STRONG- POSITION. LONDON, December 9. The Rome correspondent of the "Morning Post" says the Italian Government is disappointed at France's reply to her Note on naval disarmament. It is regarded as an evasion of the Italian thesis inviting France to establish a minimum no matter how low. Italy undertook to accept this as her own figure. There is some surprise that the French Foreign Minister, M. Briand, refused to accept this suggestion, as it was previously thought that he would have approved of such a proposal. The French reply carries the issue to another level by proposing as a basis for disarmament a confrontation of the specific naval requirements of the two countries. ' No Power is spending money so lavishly on battleships and other units, and on the expansion of her naval air forces, as the United States. One is puzzled to account for the anxiety with which the "big Navy" spokesmen profess to view the situation, says the correspondent. The personnel of the United States Navy exceeds that of Britain by several thousands. Moreover there are many more destroyers and submarines than in the British Navy. In a few years the United States will have 100 serviceable aircraft, and lastly at least £1,500,000 is being spent on each in bringing ten ships up to date.