Nelson Evening Mail FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1936 THE NAVAL CONFERENCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIX, 31 January 1936, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 1936 THE NAVAL CONFERENCE

IT will have been noticed that, though ■ the Naval Conference has resumed its sittings, the prospect is that it will not accomplish any great results. The objects of the British Government in calling it were: (a) to persuade the Naval Powers to reduce the maximum tonnage of fleets ; lb) to reduce the tonnage of vessels of various classes; (c) to bring about, if possible, the total abolition of the submarine. The position has been made difficult by the Japanese, who not | only have denounced the conditions imi posed on them by the Washington Naval | Treaty, but have declared their intention Ito possess a navy equal to that of the | Greatest Naval Power (whether Great ! Britain or America), and they are taking |no official or active part in the present : Conference. However, the British Gov- | eminent decided, as convener, to proceed with the Conference; and the Powers represented at the meetings are Great' Britain (possibly with delegates from those Dominions desirous of direct | representation), tlje United States, France, and Italy, while Japan now i sends observers, who, while they will not vote, will be cognisant of everything that takes place during the deliberations. A cablegram, published yesterday, out- j lined the principal proposals for limiting] the sizes and armaments of the various I classes of vessels, but the prospects of ! (lie Conference are not bright, for not; only are. the American, French, and Italian delegations opposed to the British .proposals, but it was reported that: The Americans’ attitude on qualitative limitation has visibly hardened, \ since Japan withdrew from the Con-, ference. The American view is that ' Janan’s action appears to foreshadow a* bid for domination over the whole of i the Far Fast, so that it would be 1 madness to make concessions curtailing the range and striking-power of the United States’ fleet.

The British Government’s desire was to limit the sizes of the various classes of vessels, and of fleets, and to bring about the abolition of submarines, since their

chief use is in destroying merchant vessels. No doubt, its objects and proposals were excellent, but it was fairly evident that the British Government was destined to fail to attain them. The position appears to be much the same as when the Conference started, except that Japan’s withdrawal was a direct challenge to the United States, and now it would appear the Americans have accepted the challenge. It seems inevitable that the result will be a naval-armaments’ race, and that the position has definitely hardened and deteriorated in the Pacific, where Japan and America confront one another, not necessarily as future belligerents, but in no friendly spirit. The British Government is largely in the position of an onlooker. It called the Conference with the object of reducing naval armaments, but it is clear that two great nations have turned a deaf ear. The fault rests primarily with Japan, for by leaving the Conference she definitely challenged America, and the latter could not be expected to tie her own hands, in view of the situation which has been created. Britain is committed to the creation of an air force, equal to (hat of the greatest European Power. It now seems that she will be obliged to rebuild her navy on a scale which will give tile scattered nations of the Empire protection against the formidable navies which are to he created by the great nations confronting each other across the broad waters of the Pacific. The cost will be great. There is no reason to think that Great Britain will hesitate. Whatever she does, it will be protective, not aggressive; and, that being her spirit, there is not much doubt that, if she looks to the Empire for support, she will receive it.