NAVAL CONFERENCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIX, 1 February 1936, Page 11

NAVAL CONFERENCE

SUB-COMMITTEE’S 1 REPORT ADOPTED ADVANCE NOTIFICATION AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION REMOVAL OF SUSPICION'' (British Official Wireless) (Received Ist February, 11.50 a. 111.) RUGBY, 3lst January. Tlie First Committee of tho Naval Conference examined and adopted the report- submitted by the technical subcommittee on the question of advance notification of naval programmes and the exchange of information. In accordance with intentions expressed at its previous meeting the committee decided to set up a new technical committee to prepare a report on definitions of various categories of vessels, on standard displacement of all naval combatant vessels, on age limits to be applied to such vessels, and on qualitative limitations to be included in the treaty. The scheme embodied in (he report provides for the confidential exchange between ail signatories of the contemplated treaty of information regarding their annual programmes of construction This information is to he exchanged within the first four months of each calendar year. The parties will agree to declare that the annual programmes will not be exceeded. There is four months’ delay provided for between notification and commencement of construction, and full characteristics of design will be furnished four months before the laying of keels instead of after completion as is the present practice. Modifications of design must also be notified and involve the same four months’ delay.

Provisions are also made for exchange of information about ships which may be acquired, and partly or fully completed, and the provisions in the Washington Treaty concerning construction of ships to the order of 11011-signatory parties xx ill be incorporated. - The draft scheme is based on the assumption that all the principal naval powers will eventually accede to it. Accordingly, a safeguarding clause, to be attached to the contemplated treaty provides the signatories with means of relief from their obligations. In the event of the building programmes of any 11011signatory power proving a danger to their security it will have to be considered later.

If the proposals in the report receive general acceptance a great advance, it is felt, will have been made in the removal of suspicion, and since suspicion is such an important factor in causing competitive naval building, a considerable contribution will have been made to quantitative reduction in naval armaments throughout the world.