BUILDING UP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 34, 10 February 1939, Page 7

BUILDING UP.

GERMANY'S NAVY. I Still Governed By' Treaty j Provision. \ 35 PER CENT OF BRITAIN. ! British Official Wireless. . .RUGBY, February 0. The German Government's decision to mount Sin guns on the new 10,000ton cruiser Seydlitz and to resume! freedom to construct submarine tonnage up to the British total was the i subject of. seven questions on the j House of Commons order paper. j They were answered by the Parlia-1 mentary Secretary to the Admiralty, Mr. G. H. Shakespeare, avlio made it clear that the German decisions were in accordance with the rights conferred upon her in the naval agreements with Britain of 103") and 1037. The German Government's stand- , point in reaching these decisions, Mr. Shakespeare said, had been stated to be that in the present condition o£ , international affairs Germany was no longer prepared to refrain from developing her naval forces to the full , extent permitted by the treaty. He mentioned that' the increase in tho German tonnage did not affect the over-riding condition in the treaty that the total German naval tonnage should not exceed 35 per cent of the aggregate tonnage of the British Commonwealth. Mr.' Shakespeare added that the Hoard of Admiralty could not agree that the exercise by any Power of a right conferred upon it by treaty could ho regarded as constituting a threat to Britain or any other Power. However, in' drawing up the 1933 programme of new naval construction, Hritain had given full weight to all factors in naval developments in all parts of the world, and the speaker invited the House to await the Navy Estimates to see what that programme would contain. / PLAN APPROVED. Roosevelt's Programme Before Congress Committee. "REASONABLE AND SOUND." WASHINGTON, 'February 0. The House of Representatives Militarv -Utah's Commif tee _ unanimously approved President Roosevelt's' arum-. niente programme, with the ten Republican minority members calling it "reasonable and sound." The committee's report, declaring that war 'may come in Europe at an early date, stresses , that America's present military establishment is woefully inadequate. Drawing attention to the threats of a war of aggression throughout the world, President Roosevelt in his message to Congress on January 12 called on° Congress to authorise • his 525,000,000-dai!ar emergency defence programme, of which 210,000,000 dollars will he available for expenditure in 1940. CABINET RESIGNS, Dispute In Belgium Over Alleged War Spy. FLEMISH. R.A. APPOINTMENT. (Received 11 a.m.) BRUSSELS, February 9. The Cabinet has resigned as a result of'the withdrawal of the Liberals' support after the appointment of Dr. Mortens to the Flemish Academy. He was allegedly a. very active spy for the Germans during the Great War, and was later sentenced to death as a traitor. <