NAVAL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1930, Page 6

NAVAL CONFERENCE

FURTHER STATEMENT

(United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.)

LONDON, February 14

The French Premier, M. Tardieu, received pressemen, in a statement to whom he said; France, sharing in the Anglo-American desire for an agreement, considers that it is necessary to specify her position. Thus France compared with the pre-war yeais, has considerably reduced her navy, wheieas in 1914, France had in service plus the tonnage laid down, a total of 1,149 000 tons of warships. France has now in service, building, or authorised,, only 681,000 tons. France’s naval budget, alone among those of the Powers is below what it was in the pre-war years. France, like Britain, without awaiting the result of the Conference has considerably cut down her building. It should be pointed out also, that France alone had not built anything between 1914 and 1920, her (Dockyards being . .then ; rW making for the Allies. If as proposed in Anglo-American communiqes building programmes 193036 France would s'this a double 1 reservation that'all Conference delegates'accept and that the ’ French PaHliament ratifies; - The French fleet tonnages in the year 1936 would thus me -Capital chips'iifider the Washington Treaty, - -156,000 tons-; "capital ships - not under the Washington Treaty, 52,000 tons; cruisers ten - tonuers,- 100,000 tons-; bid cruisers (eight-inch guns) 24,000 tons 'small cruisers and destroyers, 258,000 tons; total, 724,000 tons. The size of her capital ships hereunder would be between 20 and 25 thousand tons. M. Tardieu’s statement proceeded: —France has not used her Washington Treaty rights to the extent -of the replacement of seventy thousand tons France now is obliged, owing to the recent new type of battleship, to use part or the whole of this tonnage if other new types are built. Accordingly if there is a battleship naval holiday till 1936, France will accept such a holiday to the extent of 105,000 tons.

France desires again to insist that any London Conference naval decision must be related to the limitation of both land and air armament. France like England and America, is profoundly convinced that war between France and either Britain or America is equally as unthinkable as war between England and America. Her programme, like theirs, is strickly a defensive one, and in conformity with the agreements to which she is a party, and particularly with the Kellogg ' Ffhnce would liot’dws; alarmed if England and America were either to reduce or to increase their armaments in order to reach the desired agreement. M. Tardieu added:—The following is a comparison of naval tonnages built, building or authorised in the year 1914 and those in the year 1930: —

LONDON CRITICISM

LONDON, February 13

At St. James’ Palace there was a big attendance of jornalists at M. Tardieu, the French Premier’s first Palace press conference this afternoon \I Tardieu caused some amusement by having a special chair brought in, whereas Mr Ramsay MacDonald .usually sits at the end of a desk or leans against the wall. • M. Tardieu read his statement in rapid French. Then he added, m French: “No questions asked—no questions answered!” He then disappeared into the next room almost before the journalists realised that he had gone. They had rahny questions, but they were left to make their own interpretations of the statement, which is regarded as one of the most interesting thus far made. It certainly is describable as being most ambitious. \

Whlie France proposes to scrap sevold ships, a considerable building progromme is outlined . It includes 240,000 tons between 1930 and 1936. A significant paragraph in this regard was that France is obliged, owing to the recent netf type of battleship, to' build seventy thousand tons of capital ships before 1936. lt is understood that this is because of Germany’s new Ersatz Preussen type of battleship. It is revealed that France has at present 550,000 tons less ol capital ships than 1914, hut has not reduced her cruisers or destroyers, and has increased her aircraft carriers by 32,000 tons, and her submarines by 62,000 tons. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached, the basis of the Anglo-American communiques France’s navy in 1936 totalling 724,000 tons would, on her own formula, include formidable figures, name ly, 99,000 tons of submarines, and 258,00 tons of small cruisers and restroyers. Another interesting point is that France, according to her own table, seeks 681,000 tons 'by 1930 against Italy’s 361,000 whereas Italy has made it clear that she came to the conference seeking parity with France,

- 1914 1930 Britain 2,476,000 tons 1,296,000 tons U.S.A. 864,000 tons 1,349,000 tons Japan 646,000 tons 853,000 tons F ranee 1,139,000 tons 681,000 tons Italy 686,000 tons 360,000 tons