NAVY ESTIMATES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 71, 7 March 1930, Page 5

NAVY ESTIMATES

CONSIDERABLE REDUCTION

NO PROVISION FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION.

AWAITING CONFERENCE RESULTS.

(British Official Wireless.l

(Received 7, 12.30 p.m.) Rugby, March 6.

The Navy estimates published today show a considerable reduction. In the statement accompanying the estimates Mr. A. V. Alexander says that the substantial decrease in the total estimates is due mainly to the reduction which the Government has felt justified in making in the shipbuilding programmes of 1928 and 1929. As to future shipbuilding, the Government has decided not to formulate any proposals until the results of the Naval Conference are known and fully considered. No provision is included therefore in the estimates for commencing in 1930. As soon as the Government is in a position to inform Parliament of its intentions, a statement will be made on the subject and. if necessary, a supplementary estimate will be presented. THE SINGAPORE BASE. Mr. A. V. Alexander points out that the reductions have only been rendered possible by operating on every branch of the service with the object of curtailing expenditure. Of causes operating in a contrary sense he mentions the Singapore Base as the main engineering contract. Although no new commitments are being entered into, pending the result of the Naval Conference, it has been found that it would not be economical to retard the work contracted for and, in accordance with the terms of the contract, considerably larger payments will have to be made in 1930 than those in the current year.

REDUCTION OF OVER FOUR MILLION. The estimates, total £51,739,000, showing a reduction of £4,126,000 on last year’s figures in the first Lord’s memorandum. This is due to reductions which the Government felt justified in making. Two 10,000 tenners, two submarines and one depot ship were cancelled from the 1926 programme and 12 vessels were cancelled from the 1929 programme, comprising two 10,000 tenners, four destroyers, three submarines, two sloops and one net-layer. An additional decision as to whether the three remaining submarines of the 1929 programme be built was deferred pending results of the Naval Conference. Moreover the Government is not formulating proposals for future shipbuilding until after the naval proposals have been forwarded, reducing the personnel to 97,050 officers and men on April 1, 1930, and it is expected that further reductions will be made to the extent of 94,000 on April 1, 1931.