NAVAL RACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23014, 16 April 1938, Page 13

NAVAL RACE

tGERMANY MAY ENTER 42,000-TON VESSELS (Received April 1 -j-, 5.5 p.m.) BERLIN, April 14 A hint that Germany will enter the naval race is contained in FieldMarshal Goering's newspaper, National Zeitung. This says the British-German Naval Treaty does nbt regulate the size of ships. Thus, Germany is free immediately to construct 42,000-ton vessels if Britain begins to do so.

ESCALATOR CLAUSE BRITAIN AND AMERICA DIFFERENCES IN VIEWS (Received April 15, 5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK. April 14 Britain and the United States disagree over the extent of escalation to be resorted to in battleship construction, says the Washington correspondent of the New York Times. Britain is apprehensive about possible European programmes and wants to hold the size of battleships at a fixed limit. She prefers a maximum of 42,000 tons with 16-inch guns. The United States, because of the uncertainty of Japan's plans, does not want to commit herself at present to any limit, if Japan, as reported, is building cruisers of 36.000 to 18,000 tons, such construction would be ottset in the field of capital ships. No escalation would be required in the field of cruisers.