NAVIES COMPARED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18663, 20 March 1924, Page 6

NAVIES COMPARED.

Perusal of the Admiralty's comparative figures of the world's leading navies impresses the change that has come rapidly in relative naval strengths. A few years ago Japan would not have been in the list. Germany's name, once prominent, is conspicuous by its absence. These changes are eloquent of the rise and fall of nations. But, of dseper significance still is the tabulated proof of Britain's relinquishing of the twopower standard. For a century Britain aimed at naval superiority, and came to the secure position of that standard. It cannot be doubted that the whole world benefited by that policy. Yet, at the Washington Conference on armament!!, Britain undertook the self-denying obligation of the one-power standard, in the belief that the interests of the world her navy had Ion? served would be advantaged by the new departure. That her acceptance of the obligation was wholly sincere was proved by the immediate and complete way in which she gave effect to all her undertakings. She was the first nation, outside the country in which the agreement was reached, to give Parliamentary ratification to the treaty. Yet the very practical work of destroying warships did not wait for technical formalities. When Commander Eyres-Monsell, Financial Secretary to the Admiralty, was asked whether this scrapping was not a little premature, he replied " No, sir, I think it is right that this country should give a lead in good faith, and also that we should be the first country to show that it is our intention, in the spirit and the letter, to carry out this great treaty." It is right to recall, in a day when a Labour Government in Britain is loudly acclaiming its own peaceful aims, that so great and daring a move toward international amity was made by a Conservative Cabinet with a clear party-majority in Parliament. Such a consideration goes far to exonerate from jingoism those leading in opposition against the Labour Government's abandonment of their Singapore proposals. Other aspects of the figures, including the deficiency of Britain in submarines and, it may be added, aircraft, arouse a wonder whether all is being done, within the limits of the Washington agreement, i;o safeguard the Empire but the b road indication of the extinction of the twopower Standard is % sive fact, ' . .> ?:•