WASHINGTON ARMS TREATY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XX, Issue 2065, 10 January 1925, Page 5

WASHINGTON ARMS TREATY.

DIVERGENT OPINION. ON ELEVATION OF GUNS. (Press Association.) Washington, January 8. Mr C. E. Hughes, Secretary of State, in a letter to the Naval Committee of the House of Representatives, took the position that the elevation of guns on American capital ships did not violate the Washington Arms Treaty, although this alteration might unfortunately promote naval competition. Mr Hughes said thai while Britain had taken the view that the alteration proposed would be a violation of the Treaty, Japan took the opposite view. Although he declared the Navy Department wanted the Navy to accord with the 5-5-3 ratio, Mr Wilbui told the House Naval Committee the result of administration of the economy policy. He could not recommend the gun elevation programme or endorse spending of 75,000.000 dollars for new construction. Mr Hughes' letter is in response to a resolution answering the protests aga.inst elevation madWby Foreign Powers. Mr Hughes said the British Ambassador in March, 1923, brought up the subject, "earnestly appealing" to the State Department against any alteration of the present gun elevations and giving positive assurance that no such alterations have been made on any British capital ship after its commission. The British view was that the proposed alterations constitute major consTkttcticJnal divergencies prohibited by the Treaty. Mr Hughes agreed with Japanese opinion that they were minor alterations not violating the Treaty, but he realised they might tend to revive competition not harmonious with the well established position of the United States.