AMERICA UNLIKELY TO OBJECT

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 199, 20 May 1936, Page 11

AMERICA UNLIKELY TO OBJECT

Higher British Destroyer

Tonnage INTENTION TO EXCEED TREATY LIMITS By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. (Received May 19, 7.35 p.m.) Washington, May 19. it i s indicated that t-he State Department will not object to Britain increasing her destroyer tonnage or shifting tonnage in cruiser classes. Britain’s formal notification of tier intention to exceed London Treaty limits has been received bv mail from London. Mr. Cordell Hull. .Secretary of State, lias not yet replied to tlie Note, but his feeling is understood to be that Britain lias a clear legal right to build more cruisers and destroyers if she believes her position endangered by competitive building. It is assumed here that technical steps bringing the escalator clause into operation will probably be taken by Britain after the positions of the United States and Japan have been officially determined A cable published on Friday stated that Mr. Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister, announced in the House of Commons that negotiations were progressing with the foreign Governments concerned in the London Naval Treaty for an increase in Britain’s destroyer tonnage beyond treaty limits, for which the Government believed it had a clear case. “HALF A LOAF BETTER THAN NO BREAD” Senate Ratifies Treaty (Received May 19, 9.40 p.m.) New York, May 18. The Washington correspondent of the “New York Times” says that, adopting the philosophy that half a loaf is better than no bread, the Senate ratified the London Naval Treaty today without a dissenting vote, and after a debate limited principally to faint praise by its backers. Senator King voiced outspoken objection to the treaty. He held that the agreement would tie the hands of “two nations that desire peace, Britain and the United States. Unless we have Japan, Italy and Germany parties to this treaty we are placing ourselves and Britain at a disadvantage. The treaty is not founded on a proper recognition of the rights of this country and Britain.” Senator Robinson, deploring that there were “more armed men on earth now than in 1914,” expressed regret that the treaty contained no quantitative limitations.