BRITAIN'S IDEAL.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 33, 8 February 1930, Page 12

BRITAIN'S IDEAL.

TO KEEP SEAS OPEN. Peace by Agreement Best Security. EQUILIBRIUM OF NAVIES. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 2.30 p.m.) RUGBY, February 7. The poliey of the British Government at the Naval Conference is set forth in'an important memorandum which is being laid in the House of Commons, a summary of which was issued this afternoon. In it the belief is expressed that the conference ought not only to reduce the existing fleets and building programmes, but also end naval competition, thus making .an important step towards the linn establishment of peace. The British policy, it is pointed out, is to keep the seas open for trade and communication and, in relation to the political state of the world, to take what steps are necessary to secure this. In estimating its naval needs the British (iovernment has also to take into account its obligations under the League Covenant and other commitments which have lo be fulfilled. In relation to the present state of the world the Government feels that if naval establishments are not to be a menace, equilibrium must be maintained by means of international agreements. It feels, moreover, that this equilibrium -will not be secured by mere numerical equality in ships and tonnage, but onl\ by the adoption of agreed programmes based on the considerations of requirements, affect, dispersion, etc., ami m -which the menace will be reduced as much as possible. This cannot be done by any general formula or ratio. It must be the subject of conferences and of agreements made for periods at the end of which they should be reviewed and during which the Governments should be engaged in strengthening the foundations of peace. It is, therefore, proposed that general agreement resulting from this conference should run until fO3O and that in 1935 a further conference should be callcd to review the situation, in regard to world relations. In view of these considerations the British Government suggest the following proposals:— An agreement should be not only upon global tonnage but upon the size of individual ships in the various • categories and upon the tonnage used by each nation in each of these categories. The categories should be capital ships, aircraft-carriers, cruisers, destroyers and submarines. Categories and Tonnage. An agreement by categories is necessary to eliminate competitive budding and the maintenance of equilibrium between the fleets. These two points are essential if security is to be obtained. It is not only the total tonnage of a fleet which counts, but also the use to which these tons are put and an agreement on the latter point is called for. At the same time it might be convenient to allow a percentage of the tonnage assigned to the different categories to be transferred to other categories. The British Government, however, does not favour a general transfer and is opposed to a transfer in capital ships, aircraft-carriers and submarines. _ In regard to cruisers it would permit a transfer out of the Sin gun class into the 6in class on a percentage, which remains to be arranged, thus taking into account the special needs of the countries which require a large proportion of small cruisers. Cruiser Limits. Regarding cruisers, the memorandum recalls that it was assumed during the recent Anglo-American conversations that they should be grouped in one category which imturn should be subdivided into cruisers carrying 6in guns and under. It was also assumed, during the negotiations, that the requirements of the British Commonwealth would be 339,000 tons, divided into f)0 cruisers. The final arrangement will be governed by the decision of the conference regarding limitation in the size of units. The British Government proposes that the existing tonnage limit of eight-inch-gun cruisers should remain at 10,000 and that there should be a tonnage limit for smaller vessels at about 0000 or 7000 It suggests that only a fixed proportion in the latter class should be built up to that limit and that the life of cruisers should be twenty years. The Submarine Question. The Government proposes the abolition of the submarine. Its experts feel that the argument that the submarine is an arm solely of defence was destroyed by the experience of the late war, and that in war conditions it is an arm of attack. If abolition cannot be agreed upon the British Government will put forward proposals limiting submarines rigidly to defence requirements. In any case, it will press for a limitation of the submarine to the lowest possible limit, and it proposes to urge the revival of .the agreement signed at Washington in 1922, but not ratified bv all the signatory Powers, which would regulate in the interests of humanity the use of submarines against merchant ship*.. In regard to auxiliary vessels not strictly entering into the fleet strengths, the Government proposes that they should be specified and that each Government should publish yearly lists of the vessels of this class in commission as laid down. The British memorandum and the i .American proposals will be studied by the delegations during 1 the week-end. Mr. Mac Donald, who had a conversation : with Mr. Stimson this morning, is going to Chequers, where to-morrow ]ie will entertain members of the Italian delegation to luncheon. The naval experts attending the conference will visit ; Chequers during the afternoon. ; No official meetings have been ] arranged before Monday, when the first ] committee resumes consideration of the j alternative methods of ascertaining liaval tonnage.