NAVAL TREATY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 125, 29 May 1930, Page 9

NAVAL TREATY

THE FINAL SCENES

CEREMONY OF SIGNING

ME. WILFOKD'S SPEECH

/From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 24th April. : rjhe London Naval Treaty of 1930— the official titlo containing the agreements and conclusions arrived at by the Five-Powers Naval Conference, was . signed at St. James's Palaco on Tuesday/-exactly threo months after the opening of the Conference by the King in the Koyal Gallery of the House of Lords. Mr. T. M. Wilford signed* vthe Treaty on behalf of New Zealand. The twenty-six articles occupy thirtyfour pages printed in .French and English in parallel columns. The preamble states that the five Powers, "desiring to prevent the dangers and reduce the burdens inherent in competitive armaments, and desiring to carry forward the work oegun by the Washington Naval Conference and to facili-j tate the progressive realisation of gen-j , eral limitation and reduction of armaments, have resolved to conclude a Treaty for the limitation and reduction of naval armaments." The following are, in simple terms, the main provisions of the Five-Power Treaty and of the more restricted Three-Power Treaty:— (1) The Five Powers agree not to build any new battleships (except to replace accidental losses) beforo 1936, but France and Italy may, if they wish, use the tonnage they could havo built in 1927 and .1929. THE LIMITATIONS. (2) The United States shall scrap the battleships Florida, Utah, and Arkansas (or Wyoming); Britain shall scrap the battleships Benbow, Iron Duke, Marlborough, and Emperor of India, with , the battle-cruiser Tiger; Japan shall scrap the battle-cruiser Hiyei. America is to scrap one of her ships ■within twelve months of ratification of the Treaty; Britain is to scrap two. Others shall be scrapped in from eighteen to thirty months. Of the condemned : ships the United S.tates may retain the Arkansas (or Wyoming), Britain the Iron Duke, and Japan the Hiyei as training ships. (3) No country shall build an aircraft carrier of more than 10,000 tons, or carrying more than a 6.1-inch gun, No surface vessel shall bo fitted to launch more than three aeroplanes, unless it is classed as an aircraft carrier. (4) No submarine exceeding 2000 tons displacement, or carrying a gun larger than 5.1-inch, shall bo built by any of the Powers, except that each Power may retain or build a maximum number of threo submarines not exceeding 2800 tons and carrying 6.1-inch guns. (5) Auxiliary vessels may be built, without limitation of total tonnage, but they must not be fitted to act as torpedo craft, mine-layers, or aircraft carriers, and must not mount a gun of more than 6.1-inch calibre. Japan is allowed to replace two mine-layers, provided the displacement does not exceed 5000 tons each. ' (6) The total amount of tonnage of auxiliary vessels agreed to by the Powers is America 01,496 tons France .... 28,644 tons British Empire ...... 49,561 tons Italy ....' 11,960 tons Japan .... 61,430 tons THEEE-POWEE TREATY. The Three-Power Treaty mainly governs strength, and as to that the following provisions are made:— (1) Cruisers are surface vessels of war which exceed 1850 tons, or carry a gun of more than. 5.1-inch calibre. (2) Destroyers are of less than 1850 tons. (3) The completed tonnage in cruisers for each Power on 31st December, 1936, shall not exceed: U.S.A. Britain. Japan. Tons. Tons. Tons. With guns of more than 6.11n calibre 180,000 146,800 108,400 With guns of 6.11n calibre or less ..• 143,500 192,200 100,450 (4) The destroyer tonnage for the thveo Powers shall be: U.S.A.; 150,000 tons; Britain, 150,000 tons; Japan, 105,500 tons. SUBMARINE TONNAGE. (5) The submarine tonnage for the three Powers shall be: U.S.A., 52,700 tons; Britain, 52,700 tons; Japan, 52,700 tons. , (6) Cruisers carrying larger than 6.lin guns for- the U.S.A. shall be limited to eighteen in number, for the British Empire to fifteen, and for Japan twelve. . ■ (7) Not more than 16 per cent of the destroyer tonnage of each Power shall consist of vessels exceeding 1500 tons each in displacement. (8) Ten per cent, of the tonnage allowed for 6in gun cruisers and for destroyers is interchangeable. (9) Japan is allowed to anticipate replacement tonnage of submarines by 19,200 tons before 1936. The "humanisation of submarines" boils down to rules that a torpedoed ship's company and passengers must bo in boats in good weather, near the ]and or a rescuing vessel, before a torpedo is fired or the ship sunk. SAFEGUARDING CLAUSE. The Safeguarding Clause is as follows:— • "If, during the term of the present treaty, the requirements of the national security of any high contracting party in respect of vessels of war limited by Part 3.0f the present treaty are, in the opinion of that party, materially affected by the new construction of any Power other than those who joined in Part 3 of this treaty, that high contracting party will notify other parties to Part 3 as to the increase required to be made in its own tpnnages within one or more of the categoric- of such vessels of war, specifying particularly the proposed' increase and the reasons therefor, and shall be entitled to make such increase. "Thereupon the other parties to Part 3 of this treaty shall be entitled to make a proportionate increase in the categories specified, and the said other parties shall promptly advise with each other through diplomatic channels as to the situation thus presented." CLREMONY AT THE PALACE. TL« ceremoiiy on 1 aesday, which opened at ' 10.30, was hedged around with protracted formalities, including the translating into two and even three languages of lengthy speeches by each of the eleven chief delegates, and occupied nearly three hours. Eve: the signing by the twenty-eight delegates, which was to have closed the proceedings, was spun out to considerable length by the signing of photogrr.phs to be hung in the Prime Minister's official house, No. 10, Downing street, as Bouvenirs of the event. The long proceedings, were marked by the click' of photographic plater as they were withdrawn from cameras, the furious scribbling of .the shorthand writers, and their comings and goings to relieve one another, the hurried exits and entrances of journalists fighting the clock to send their messages all round the world, and from an adjoin-

ing room the occasional staccato of a typewriter or the buzz of a cable machine transmitting thousands and thousands of words to every co'-ner of fae globe. ATTITUDE OF THE PRESS. The optimistic spirit which had been with the Premier since the beginning of the Conference was apparent at its close.. Every hope he had entertained three months ago which nad not rcen actually realised by tho treaty were "just as much alive as ever." At tho same time tho Premier took the opportunity of thanking the Press "for the kindly forbearance" they had shown. "The attitude of the whole Press," he said, "was one of great n.itioual service and fair play to the work of tho Conference." Of the speeches which preceded the signing of the treaty it might be said that all were couched in terms of thankfulness for the considerable measure, of success achieved, although tempered by regret that the Conference had failed to arrive at complete unanimity. Comparing the results with . those achieved -at Washington and Geneva, Mr. Mac Donald said they had progressed far, but "compared with our desires we are still short." Even the Three-Power Agreement between tho British., Empire, America, and Japan, definitely limiting naval construction until 1936, had to have the protection of a safeguarding clause, ,due to the inability of the Conference to solve tho European problem. A NECESSARY CLAUSE. Such a clause, observed Mr. MacDonald, would be necessary in every bond of limited scopo until that problem was solved, but so far as Great Britain was concerned, he gavo the assurance that only after every effort had been made to avoid it would such a clause be used—"only when it is apparent that, owing to tho ships built, building, or definitely authorised by any Power or Powers, our naval position is so affected that it is impossible for this crfuntryi to rest in peace of mind upon tho figures embodied in Part 3 of tho treaty, only then shall this protection clause be thought about." The appeal brought an immediate response from M. Briand, who, after expressing regret that it had been found impossible to bring all Five Powers within tho scope of the general agreement, pledged his Government to make all possible .efforts at least to. reduce the duration' of that relative impossibility, i" '■ ' • ' Admiral Sirianni, who led tho Italian delegation, was no less responsive, and anticipated with pleasure ■ • the day in which negotiations between Italy and her great and friendly neighbour, resumed with a firm will to succeed, will likewise1 bring about an agreement completing the one now completed between the United States, the British Empire, and Japan." MR. WILFORD 'S SPEECH. The feelings of the Dominions was probably most forcefully expressed by ,Mr. Wilford. ■" ".Recognising as we do," said Mr. Wilford, "that the main burden of maintaining the Navy falls not upon us, but upon H.M. Government in Great Britain, and realising that the attainment of a satisfactory agreement with the United States of , America^ and Japan with regard to a reduction of armaments is of supreme importance to the world, and1 further knowing that the terms of the proposed treaty liavc been subscribed to, not only by H.M. Government in Great Britain, but by the Dominion Governments also, we of New Zealand affirm our adherence to tho terms of the undertaking and agreo to sign itl • . ' • "New Zealand regrets that the Conference has been unable to find one formula for tho five Powers, but those of use who havo attended tho great number of meetings which have been held, realise the many difficulties which must be surmounted beforo such a result can be attained. The treaty t.; be signed falls short, of my hopes. A the same time, I believe it will put a brake on the wheel of competitive building, particularly by the inclusion of the Safeguarding Clause, without which, in my opinion, tho treaty could not have been entered into."