NAVAL RIVALRY

Grey River Argus, 31 July 1935, Page 5

NAVAL RIVALRY

RATIOS TO GO British Explanation (British Official Wireless.' RUGBY, July 29. The recent statement by Sir B. Eyres Monsell that it was unfortunately necessary to abandon the principle of ratios in the effort to secure new naval limitation agreements, was repeated in the Lords, by Lori Londonderry, in reply to Lord Cecil, who asked what was meant by t'he abandonment of ratios. Lord Loiiidonderry said there had been no change in the policy of His Majesty’s Government, who would gladly continuation of the system of limitation embodied in the Washington Treaty, but to avoid a race in naval armaments, after the naval treaties come to an end in 1936, account had to be taken of the desires of countries holding other views. During the conversations with the United States and Japanese representatives, beginning last October, the Government had reached the conclusion it would not be possible to make any agreement in replacement of the Washington and London navaJ. treaties., which contained ratios. Th© only hope of preserving some form of quantitative limitation lay in eliminating the figures which appeared to constitute a ratio and substituting a system under which each Power would make a voluntary unilateral declaration of its construction programme for a period of years, say from 1937 to 1942. These declarations should not have the force or forni of contractual ob’igat'ious. The consWcUon figures would requite to be conceited before hand between the Powers, and it would be necessary that each Power should undertake not to modify its announced building programme without giving previous notice of, say, at least one year. This proposal was made to the Japanese and United States representatives and described to other signatories to the Washington Treaty. The purpose had been to evolve in consultation with those Powers, a system of limitation which while avoiding expression in contractual form of a definite relationship of naval strength, would offer certain guarantees against the resumption oi unrestricted competitive building.