NAVAL CONFERENCE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 83, 2 January 1930, Page 11

NAVAL CONFERENCE

PRELIMINARY TALKS WITH MR. MACDONALD UNITED STATES’ DEMANDS CRUISING SUPERIORITY OVER BRITAIN (United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Rec. January 1, 7 p.m.) London, December 3L It now appears that all the chiefs of the delegations to the London Naval Conference are likely to arrive early with a view to a preliminary talk with Mr. MacDonald. Besides Messrs. Stimson and Wakatsuki and the respective American and Japanese delegations, which have already conferred with Mr, MacDonald, Signor Grand! and the rest of the Italian delegation are expected to reach London well ahead of the conference. Spain has not yet approached the British Government with a view to participation. It is pointed out that there will be an opportunity of reviewing the decision before the Preparatory Disarmament Commission at Geneva, of which Spain is a member. The “Daily Telegraph’s” naval contributor has reason to anticipate that the United States will demand at least twenty-one 10,000-ton cruisers, being three more than Mr. MacDonald suggested to General Dawes. It is understood that the Washington Navy Department wanted twenty-three, but was overruled. The comparative position would be: United States, twenty-one 10,000-ton cruisers, mounting 191 8-inch guns. British Empire, thirteen 10,000-ton cruisers, and two 8400 tons, mounting 110 8-inch guns. The American fleet therefore would have an advantage of 75 8-inch guns. On the other hand, Britain would be granted the surplus in small cruisers, displacing about 5500 tons, and carrying 6-inch guns. It. is pointed out that this arrangement would give the United States a cruising superiority. Naval circles are unable to understandy why, as the British Empire possesses 15 8-inch gun cruisers, built or building, and the United States 13, the parity problem cannot be solved by America building two additional, and thereafter, like Britain, confining her building activities to small cruisers mountnng 6-inch guns. GENERAL SMUTS ON RESULT DEPENDENT ON METHOD OF APPROACH NATIONAL REQUIREMENTS OR PEACE PACT (Rec. December 8L 8.35 p.m.) New York, December 31. General Smuts in a wirelss message says: “To my mind, the ultimate result of the London Conference will depend mainly on whether the question of naval armaments is approached from the standpoint of national requirements or the standpoint that the Peace Pact creates a new initiation and is to be lived up to by the signatories. If the national need is the standpoint, the whole question will be considered in a war atmosphere, and no real progress will be made. The conference may even lead to the increase of armaments. If the Peace P-,ct is the standard, there is no reason why very substantial reductions should not be made, as anticipated by President Hoover in his Armistice Day speech.” MOVEMENTS OF BRITISH PRIME MINISTER (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, December 30. It is understood that Mr. Ramsay Macdonald, who has been staying at Lossiemouth in Scotland during the Christmas holidays, will go to Chequers, the official country residence of the Prime Minister, before returning to London for the opening of the Five Power Conference on naval disarmament on January 21. The Prime Minister wishes to have a talk with M. Tardieu, the French Prime Minister, on the general .scope of the conference and the French memorandum, and it is likely the meting of the two Prime Ministers almost on the even of the confernc will take place at. Chequers. BROADCAST OF KING’S SPEECH (Rec. January 1, 7.40 p.m.). London, December 31. The King’s speech at the disarmament conference on January 21 will be broadcast through SSW primarily for reception throughout the Empire. BRITAIN’S NEEDS QUESTION FOR EXPERTS (Rec. January 1, 7 p.m.) London, December 31. The Emden and Karlsruhe incidents illustrate most clearly the indisputable fact that the cruiser requirements of the Empire are not measurable by the naval strength of other nations, says Lord Linlithgow, president of the Navy League, in a New Year message. He adds: “The length and importance of the trade routes and the immense difficulties of bringing action against hostile commerce raiders must necessarily govern the cruiser requirements. Naval experts alone are capable of translating the terms of British policy and needs in fighting ships.” NEUTRALS IN WAR-TIME Washington, December 30. The Secretary of State, Mr. H. L. Stimson, repudiates the newspaper reports that Britain has formally interpreted the Kellogg Pact as meaning that there will be no neutrals in future wars. Mr. Stimson challenged the Press interpretations of the Bzit-

ish White Paper, explaining that he had received a copy himself, a study of which convinced him that the reports were not substantiated. He said that the British assertion relative to neutrality was limited to members of the League and not based upon the Kellogg Pact. FRENCH FRONTIERS DEFENCE SCHEME Paris, December 30. The Chamber of Deputies adopted the frontier defence scheme providing for the complete organisation of the terrain, fully using natural features aud extensively providing reinforced . concrete shell, gas, and bombproof shelters for the defenders, with mobile fortification parks equipped with material enabling the rapid construction of strong posts at threatened points; also anti-aircraft defences. The authorities do not believe that the war had proved the uselessness of fortifications, which are considered to have fallen owing to defective defence THE LEAGUE COUNCIL (Rec. January 1, 7.40 p.m.) Geneva, December 31. The League Council will be meeting in the middle of January.