NAVAL LIMITATION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 208, 1 August 1928, Page 7

NAVAL LIMITATION

ANGLO-FRENCH COMPROMISE

EFFECT ON UNITED STATES. NO ALTERATION IN POLICY. (United Press Association.— By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (United Service.) Received August 1, 9.5 a.m. LONDON, July 31. "Sir Austen Chamberlain’s warmly applauded announcement that an AngloFrench compromise had been reached on naval disarmament completely surprised the House of Commons. No official hint had previously been given of the fruits of the five months negotiations, which, while primarily concerning the resumption of the deliberations of the League of Nations Disarmament Commission, have had a direct bearing upon those Anglo-Ame-rican negotiations which broke down at Genova. It is believed here that the AngloFrench compromise may lead to a formula of naval limitation agreeable to Britain and America, although the typo of warship Britain and I ranee have been considering is a submarine, and the bone of contention in the Anglo-American dispute was a cruiser. Because she is dependent on a large number of cruisers for the protection of her long trade routes, Britain did not like the idea of the bulk of American tonnage under the tonnage limitation scheme going into capital ships any more than she liked the thought of France utilising practically all her tonnage in the construction of a great submarine fleet. How the points of view have been reconciled is not likely to bo disclosed until particulars have been communicated to the other naval Powers, but it is known that the main idea of the negotiations for some time has been to secure an extension of the principle voted at the Washington Conference in 1921, when the Powers agreed to limit the number and size of capital ships. A month ago it seemed inevitable that the British and French ideas were irreconcilable. Britain desired an exchange of information regarding constructional programmes, but France declined to disclose secrets affecting her destroyer flotillas, seaplanes, and especially the ocean-going submarines. It is expected that the date when the Commission will assemble will be fixed when the League Council meets in September. OFFICIAL DECLARATION. NO CONFERENCE BEFORE 1931. (Australian Press Association.) Received August 1, 10.15 a.m. WASHINGTON, July 31. Officials to-day declared that the conclusion of a naval agreement between Britain and France would probably facilitate a general agreement for the limitation of auxiliary naval vessels. Details of the British and French agreement had not yet reached Washington, but wahtever the actual terms, the declared American naval armament policy would not be altered, nor would the United States be likely to consent to a new naval conference before the 1931 meeting set by the Washington Treaty.