REDUCTION OVERDONE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 149, 20 December 1929, Page 11

REDUCTION OVERDONE

CONTENTION IN LORDS

EARL BEATTY'S WARNING

LONDON, 18th December. In the Houso of Lords, Earl Stanhope prompted an interesting naval statement by asking whether, as a consequence- of the reduction announced in_ the number of cruisers to be maintained, the Board of Admiralty would *n anywise be relieved of the responsibilities of defence, also whether the reductions would be from the battle fleets of from those on the trade routes. The country was entitled to be told what had been the change of policy and what the programme of fifty cruisers included. STBENGTH INADEQUATE? Earl Beatty said that this was in no iense a political party question. It was the responsibility of the Admiralty to provide a naval strength adequate to carry out the policy of the Government, also to provide sufficient strength to protect the sea communications and trade routes of the Dominions and Colonies from attack. The country sought an assurance that nothing would be done at the coming conference which in anywise would weaken the hands of the Admiralty. On an average day of the year 9J millions tons of British shipping was to be found "on the sea routes, extending eighty thousand miles. To the number of cruisers at fifty, within the coming years it would be necessary to lay down twenty-six. Yet the "1928 programme had been suspended, while nothing had been done in regard to 1929, Britain was entering the conference with an extremely low limit of cruiser tonnage; thus it was natural that there should be apprehension among those who had given thoughtful consideration to the vital question, and ■who could not understand how parity of cruisers could be arrived at unless they had regard to commitments and obligations of each nation. POLICY OF SECURITY. Lord. Thomson, Secretary of State for Air, replying, said that the policy was to provide the absolute security of the Empire, and this had not been altered a single- point. The Government was in constant consultation with the Admiralty. Obviously, the object of the conference was reduction. The British delegates would not be naval experts, but they would be accompanied by experts. This was a change for the better if the conference took the course which every. believer in '■world peace hoped. The Government was confident that the Admiralty was able to continue adequately to discharge its responsibilities. It was impossible at present to deal with the facts and figures mentioned by Earl Beatty. He believed that two Australian cruisers were included in the fifty, but ho had no further information. HOW BINGAPORE COMES IN. Earl Stanhope asked how far Singapore affected the scheme. Lord Thomson replied that the Government did not intend to go to the conference and use Singapore as a bargaining counter. Britain would go with absolutely clean hands. If they achieved the results hoped for, not using Singapore in any sense, they quite obviously would be able to apply some results of the conference to a modification of the Singapore scheme.