BASIC PRINCIPLES

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 143, 21 June 1927, Page 11

BASIC PRINCIPLES

NAVAL LIMITATION

AMERICAN CHAIRMAN

ADDRESSES CONFERENCE

(Received 21st June, 3 p.m.)

GENEVA, 20th June. Mr. Hugh Gibson (U.S.A.) prefaced his speech as President of the Naval Conference with a message from President Coolidge, declaring that the president was only interpreting the overwhelming sentiment of the American people in stating that the United States would do its utmost to make agreement possible.

Mr. Gibson added that it could be assumed that the conference started in agreement on the following points, namely: That in the interest of international understanding there should be no competition between the three Powers in naval armaments; that their respective navies should be maintained at the lowest level compatible with national security, and never be of a size and character to warrant a suspicion of an aggressive intent; future construction should be kept to a minimum, and the methods and principles of limitation set down in the Washington Treaty should be extended to all categories of combatant vessels of the three Powers. The United States had no intention of maintaining her force as a threat to any Power, and did not desire to initiate a competitive programme. The American suggestions were based on the following considerations: That the ratio and principles of the Washington Treaty should be applied by cruisers, destroyers and submarines, and any agreement between the three Powers to limit the building of auxiliary vessels should be coterminous with the Washington Treaty and contain a provision respecting revision in the event of an extensive building programme by a Power not a party to the agreement.

For the purpose of future limitation auxiliaries should be divided into four categories, three of which, namely, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines, should be subject to limitation, with a fourth class of negligible combatant value not subject to limitation, the cruiser class to include surface combatant vessels of 3000, 7000, and 10,000 tons, the destroyer class to include all surface combatant vessels of 600 to 3000 tons, with a speed of above 17 knots.

The United States recognised that naval requirements were relative, and if these limits were adjusted for one Power they should be adjusted for all. If any of the Powers proposed lower tonnage levels for auxiliary craft, the United States would welcomo them to obviate scrapping comparatively new vessels of one class and simultaneous building in another class.

He added that the question of the abolition of submarines must be universal between all naval Powers in. order to be effective.