REDUCED ARMAMENTS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16628, 23 April 1928, Page 7

REDUCED ARMAMENTS

BRITAIN'S CONTRIBUTION OBLIGATIONS CARRIED OUT (British Official Wireless.) Rcc. noon. , RUGBY, April 21. Lord Cushendun, speaking at a League of Nations Union meeting last night expressed his disappoinment that more had not been done in progressive international disarmament., hut emphasised that without waiting for any inlernationtfl agreement' Britain, for economy and other reasons, already had carried cut a large measure of reduction. This reduction was particularly notable in the personnel of the navy, in the tonnage of ships, and in the dockyards. It might well be argued that Britain's reductions in the fighting strength of the three services amply carried out her obligations to reduce her armaments to the lowest level consistent with public safety, but Britain had offered to do more, and was ready to do more as soon as an agreement with other nations was reached. One of the great obstacles at- Geneva was tho different views taken by the nations on conscription, but he had faith that a very much larger measure of disanmamont'would be accomplished, "although, in itself, it was not the only factor in maintaining peace.

PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY COMPARISON WITH 1913 (British Official Wirctess.) P.ec. 10 a.m. RUGBY, April 21 Mr. W. C. J.ridgcman, First Lord of the Admiralty, in a written Parliamentary answer, gives a comparison of the number of officers and ratings serving in the Navy in 1913. and this year. In January, 1913, there were 9489 officers and 128.607 ratings, the total being 138,096. In January of this year there wore 8515 officers and £3,799 ratings, or a total of 102,314. '