NAVAL LIMITATIONS

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 4 July 1927, Page 5

NAVAL LIMITATIONS

SIZE OF SUBMARINES. DIVERGENT OPINIONS. PROSPECT OF COMPROMISE. 1Y GAULS FKKSS ASSOCIATION OOF V RIGHT GENEVA, July 3. The naval experts continued tneur discussions- of tne characteristics of submarines and readied a provisional agreement on some points. the American proposal would -allocate Britain and t-he United States .submarines totalling between 60,600 land 90,600 tons, and J apan between 36,000 ana 54,000 tons, but Japan’s proposal gives her 70,000 tons. The Japanese delegation intimated that it was not authorised at present to accept Britain’s proposal to divide submarines into two classes, a largei alio for general service .and a smaller one for local defence. Britain suggests that -she and the United States .should have a total of 60 submarines, made up of 40 to 45 ships of large type and 15 co 20 of the small type, with an aggregate, tonnage of 76,000 to 81,000. As lias been the case throughout the conference. Britain offered the largest measure of limitation to .sizes, submitting that no submarine, should exceed 1600 tons surface displacement. Japan suggested 2000 because there were so many at -present in commission between 1400 and 3000 tons. The United States indicated that they were not keen to fix a maximum fo.r the individual submarine, provided the aggregate) tonnage was restricted, but die British delegate pointed out that the most severe tests .showed that every requirement of the submarines could be obtained from vessels not exceeding 1000 tons, which would have a radius of action of 10,000 miles. Americans undertook, on reconsideration, to accept a maximum of 1700 tons. Therefore there seems a brighter prospect or compromise on the size question. Those well informed suggest that the adjournment of the discussion till Tuesday is to enable London, Washington and Tokio to be, consulted with a view to reconciling the remaining divergences. It is understood that all the delegations have accepted the maximum armament of submarines as the £>-m gun. hut neither Britain nor America favours the Japanese pimposition that submarines under 600 tons should be exempt from limitation, along with a small fleet of auxiliaries.

Important private conversations are taking place between the of the delegations, during the week-end, over the problem which will be a real criterion of the success, of the conference, uamelv the Limitation of cruisers.

ADVANCES TOWARDS AGREE-

MENTS

GOOD PROGRESS BEING MADE

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 1

Although the responsible representative of the United States Government iiad not accepted the widely canvassed report that Britain challenges the American right to parity in regard to any particular class of warship, tiie Secretary of State (Mr. Kellogg) has expressed publicly liis gratification that the misapprehension has been precluded by the assurance at Geneva by the First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr. W. C. Bridgeman) and Lord Cecil, members of the British delegation at the Naval Limitation Conference.

It is generally agreed at Geneva that there are excellent prospects of a satisfactory solution of the differences regarding ail classes of vessels, including capita! ships. Valuable progress was made by the technical committee yesterday, When a provisional agreement was reached as to the characteristics of destroyers and destroyer leaders for future construction The characteristics of submarine guns are being discussed this morning. A correspondent says the work of the committee has led to a. much fuller classification of warships for the purnose of limitation than was at first attempted. Any scheme of classification was originally pronounced impracticable. The British delegation, however, oroduced a system of tabulating all normal types of war vessels that go to form the naval forces of any country, and it is largely upon this scheme that the conference is working. The technical committee has made such material advance towards agreement on questions relating to auxiliary craft that British circles now- hope the subject of capital ships will be .taken up before long. The British delegation’s proposals regarding this class are a reduction of tonnage, from 35.000 to 30.000 tons, the reduction of guns from 16in to 13. Sin. and the lengthening of the life of battleships from 20 to 26 years.

In support of these proposals it is urged that if the three Powers concerned agree thus to carry a stage further the limitations prescribed in the Washington Treaty their action would nrovide a striking proof of sincerity in the cause of armament diminution, and would, moreover, lead to very substantial economy.

It is further intended that the British nronesnls should bo adjusted so as not to affect in nnv wav the h- lance ; n regard to the capital shin ratio, which was co-reed to in Washington. Tt is h.cned that n clear nriderstnncb'ue of '•hit; fnr-t. counlcfl with the British delegation’s frank declaration that then hevo nn desire to cmestion the claim of f he United States to pn"jty with Great Britain on any class of vessel, will 'vicilitate the discussion of this subject. Tt is undo-rst-c-nd that the .Tamnose ere in runn"inie iuoh’ned to regard with '("•o-i" the British proposals as to capital ships.