BRITAIN’S NAVY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXV, Issue 78, 15 March 1935, Page 5

BRITAIN’S NAVY

INCREASED ESTIMATES Making Good Deficiencies LIMITATION PROPOSALS 'British Official Wireless.) (Received 15, 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, March 14. Introducing the Naval Estimates in tho House of Commons to-day, Sir Bolton* Eyres-Monsell pointed out that the increase of £3,500,000 in the total did not mean any increase in the size of the Fleet. The additional expenditure of £2,000,000 was essential to make good serious deficiencies in equipment and to carry out tho modernisation of certain oid ships. The remaining £1,500,000 increase was due to the automatic rise in expenditure during 1935 on new construction involved by programmes authorised in previous years and constituting part of the normal replacement policy allowed by tho terms of the London Naval Treaty of 1930, which is still in force. The number of ships in the British Navy had been already drastically reduced, and in view of its Imperial responsibilities tho Government could not agree to a further numerical reduction. At the same time, it was anxious to join in an international agreement for the reduction of sizes within the categories. In particular, they would like to see the tonnage of battleships fixed at 25,000, with 12-inch guns, and cruisers restricted to 7,000 tons, with 6-inch guns. Failing the total abolition of submarines, which it favoured, it would like to maintain tho qualitative limitations of the London Treaty and drastically reduce the maximum permissible submarine tonnage. These proposals for qualitative limitation would be of enormous advantage to the world, because they would preserve the relative strength of different countries at a greatly reduced cost.

CONTINENTAL MISSION

British Ministers’ Visit rfirltish Official Wireless.) (Received 15, 12-30 p.m.) RUGBY, March 14 The conversations which Sir John Simon and Mr Anthony Eden will hive with Herr Hitler and his Ministers in Berlin on Al arch 25 and 26 will have as their basis the communique issued alter tho Anglo-French London conversations. “Tho Tunes” anticipates (hat the four central points to come under examination will lx) the Air Pact of the Locarno Powers, the Eastern Pact, the possibility of a Central European Pact and tho Arm* Convention. Arrangements have been completed for the visit of Mr Eden to Moscow. Mr Eden will leave Berlin by train on the night of March 26 and arrive at .Moscow on the morning of March 28. During his stay of four days he will have au opportunity to discuss with AlStalin, Al. Litvinov and other prominent members of the Russian administration the general European situation in the light oi the Anglo-French communique of February 3. Air Eden wi“ leave Aloscow on the night of Alarch 31 and proceed to W artaw.