ANGLO-GERMAN PACT

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 27 June 1935, Page 7

ANGLO-GERMAN PACT

Removes Arms Competition and Rivalry on Sea EARL BEATTY’S VIEWS PERMANENT RELATIONSHIP (British Official Wireless) Received 1 p.m. to-day. RIUOBY, June 26. During a brief debate in the House of Lords, Earl Beatty welcomed the Anglo-German naval agreement. A gesture of the kind Germany had made did away with all possibility of competition in armaments and rivalry on the sea between the. two countries. The agreement for 35 per cent, of Britain’s strength established a permanent relationship and ensured that with at least one country in the world there would bo no competitive building, which was something to be thankful for. Another effect of the agreement was that there would be no repetition of ruthless submarine warfare m future. . ... Lord Ponsonby confined his criticism to the method adopted in concluding the agreement, and declared that, in essence, it was not a disarmament, but a rearmament agreement. Lord Londonderry, replying, said a restoration of confidence and the prospects ■of peace amongst the nations would lie most effectively promoted by general settlement freely negotiated between Germany and the other powers. 'l'lie Government would adhere to that view, which, in effect, it had reaffirmed at the. Stresa conference, but as practical people they had to face the facts of the situation. Germany already was increasing her naval strength beyond the limits imposed by the Versailles Treaty, and the Government believed the best method of promoting t.hat general settlement to which the London communique referred was not to enter upon a further period of competitive building, but to endeavour by agreement with Germany to circumscribe the effects of the decision announced by Germany. It was in those circumstances that Germany undertook to limit the future size of her navy to 35 per cent, of the British Fleet, provided the British Government accepted that limitation. FATAL COMPETITION. “We may hope for all time that the fatal competition of naval armaments between Germany and this country, which did so much to poison the atmosphere a quarter of a century ago, will be eliminated,” he continued. It would be a great mistake to assume that in accepting the agreement with Germany the Government has done anything to prejudice the situation of other naval powers. The Government believed that by setting a fixed point of departure for future discussions, both as regards British and German armaments, it had done a service to the other powers. The French Government in common with other powers signatory to the Washington Treaty, had been informed on June 7 of an outline of the agreement and 'had been invited to communicate any observations they might desire to offer. The French view was received before the agreement w-as made, but their criticisms did not appear to be of such a character as would justify the British Government withholding its consent to the agreement, which held such promise for the peace of the world. Taking Franco’s present naval strength at about 50 per cent, of the British naval strength, . the agreement afforded to France, at the present levels, a permanent superirity of about 43 per cent, over the German Navy, compared with an inferiority of some 30 per cent, before the war. The Government believed

that when tho French Government was able to review the situation, as a whole through expert representatives whom, it was hoped, they would appoint for this purpose, they would admit that this step had been in the ultimate interest of France. TONNAGE ALLOW AN CES. Several questions on the Anglo-Ger-man agreement were answered in the House of Commons by Sir Bolton Eyres Monsell, First Lord of the Admiralty. Ho said on the tonnages allowed by the Washington and London Treaties, on December 31, 1936, 35 per cent, of the British total of capital ship, c-raiser and destroyer tonnages would be 166,163 tons, 118,650 tons and 525,000 tons respectively. On the same basis 45 per cent, of the British submarine tonnage Avas 23,715 tons; 35 per cent, of the aggregate British tonnage allowed by these treaties on the same date Avoukl be 403,008 tons. After that date the tonnage allowed Germany avoulcl be based on the relevant paragraph of the agreement. AnsAvering a further question, the First Lord said the Deutschland and her sister ships Avere under treaty definitions in the capital ship class and which remain in that category under the definition proposed for the future treaty in the British draft of tho disarmament convention. Sir Samuel Hoare, 'in reply to a question, said the conclusion of a general armaments agrement to replace, so far as Germany was concerned, part 5 of the Versailles Treaty remained the object of the Government’s policy. The Government believcd the Anglo-German agreement AVouTd facilitate the conclusion of a general agreemnt on the subject of naval armaments.