PAPER AGREEMENT ON NAVAL FORCES USELESS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6993, 20 August 1929, Page 12

PAPER AGREEMENT ON NAVAL FORCES USELESS

CHURCHILL’S WARNING FULL ASSENT OF PUBLIC OPINION MUST BE GAINED OTTAWA, Aug. 15. Mr, Winston Churchill delivered an address before the Canadian Club today and declared that it had been the aim of every British Government to remove all stumbling blocks from the path of friendship between Britain and the United States and success had crowned the efforts that had been made. The only live issue remaining was the question of naval agreement. Mr. Churchill declared that the Washington Conference of 1921 was a great decision, 'which he had looked on with faith and hope. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer added: — “But on looking back I begin to wonder if it did not do as much harm as good to the relations between Britain and America,” pointing out that the Washington Treaty dealt only with battle fleets. “It seems to me that we are opening up fields of infinite technical discussion with immense possibilities of misunderstanding if we try to regulate the whole of the minor construction of two countries in accordance with some rigid treaty instrument.” Mr. Churchill declared that while Britain was dependent for food and raw material on her sea-borne trade, the United States was a self-contained continent separated by thousands of miles from any potential danger, while Britain was only one hour away from Europe with its animosities and quarrels. Mr. Churchill stated that “Whatever the yardstick may be there is the great risk of not arriving at the true goal, which is that the United States and the British Empire shall be equal Powers upon the seas.” Mr. Churchill added:— “I wonder if this great diversity of conditions is understood by the American people —whether it will receive fair recognition in the proposals they have to make us. If not, then a fair agreement will be hard to Teach; and if an agreement is reached on paper without the real assent of the public opinion of each country, then in years to come there may again rise up those difficulties which it is our object to sweep away. “I doubt if a rigid agreement will lead to an effective reduction of expenditures.”