NAVAL LIMITATIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 August 1929, Page 7

NAVAL LIMITATIONS

ANGLO-AMERICAN TALKS AGREEMENT REPORTED (Australian Press Assn.) (By Cable—Press Assn.—Copyright.) (Recd. August 3, 11 a.m.) LONDON, August 2. The “Evening Standard” asserts that Mr MacDonald and General Dawes have reached a formula restricting the building of battleships, decreasing their size and prolonging the life of those now in commission. They declare their willingness to stop building submarines.

This, the paper states, will form a basis of communications to France, Italy and Japan.

AMERICAN DENIAL. WASHINGTON, August 2. The four points on which London reports state that Mr MacDonald and Genaral Dawes have reached an agreement in the naval discussions, are said in authoritative sources here to have no relation to facts. State Department officials decline to comment on the Naval Agreement. l It is strongly indicated that considerable ground must be covered before anything of a definite or conclusive agreement is forthcoming. MR BORAH’S STATEMENT. ’ WASHINGTON, August 1. Senator Borah issued a statement to-day, after having presumably discussed the naval questions with President Hoover yesterday in part, he Said: “Parity coupled with reduction means much. It means a great deal, but parity coupled merely with limitations means very little, if I understand reports of our Navy Department correctly. Britain now has 59 modern cruisers, and eight more are being built, constituting in tonnage 375,000 tons, whereas we now have IS modern cruisers built or building. If Britain will follow our example at the Washington Conference and sink some of her ships and thus come to parity, it will not only save the taxpayers, but reduce incentive to war; but if we have to build up to parity, it vastly increases the burden of taxpayers, and augments incentive to war. What we really desire is a reduction of armaments. That is the primary thing for which we are contending. If parity were used to justify the building of huge armaments, it would become a menace instead of security. I notice from London dispatches that Britain will not reduce her cruisers. That is very discouraging news.” MR BALDWIN’S ADVICE. LONDON, August 2. With Mr MacDonald’s departure for Lossiemouth, and General Dawes’ pending Irish tour, a brief lull is expected in the Anglo-American naval negotiations. Mr Baldwin, speaking at Malvern, said there could be no complaint at

the Government holding up of a fresh naval programme if there was a real chance of agreement with the other Powers, but he thought it unnecessary and. rash to interfere with the existing programme. There was - a tendency on the part of the new Party to try to jump too quickly, but .more haste and less speed was truer in international politics than in any other walk of life.