ELASTIC TONNAGE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17175, 4 February 1930, Page 7

ELASTIC TONNAGE

A NAVAL PROBLEM HARD NUT TO CRACK POSITION OF THE POV.'^BS <Elec, Tel. Copyright—United l'r«ss Asm.) (Received February 4, noon) LONDON, Fob. 3. The preparatory meeting of the first committee in connection with the FivePower Naval Disarmament Conference, will be held to-morrow morning. Mr. Stimson will see Mr. MacDonald this afternoon. >io great progress is expected as a result of this meeting as M. Tardieu and M. Briand are still, in .Paris. No fresh proposals have been circulated owing to the elucidation necessary in regard to .the French and British formulae. There are indications that the week's' conference discussions of elastic tonnage will produce the hardest nut of the whole agenda, in the French suggestion that there should be one scale for Britain, America, and Japan, and another for France and Italy. It is safe to say the former Powers will oppose tho application of the French idea to transfer battleships and Sin. gun cruisers, which would mean giving France and Italy freedom to interchange their whole range of ships'. The major Powers arc intent, on confining the elasticity to fiiu. gun cruisers down wards, covering both commerce protection cruisers and submarines, to which the French mind is apparently strongly wedded. Behind'the idea'of a separate Continental scale is the right to transfer 20 per cent., while Britain, America, and Japan would be limited to 10 per cent. Such wider elasticity naturally raises the point that France and Italy by building large cruisers could

upset the balance of British, American, and Japanese reckonings. . Similarly, it might embarrass Britain, whose commerce protection needs to extend beyond mere Mediterranean and African interests.

France so far has not discussed the nature of her claims in regard to submarines, but it is felt that this problem must arise immediately because <;ho quotas cannot be tackled until it is seen what strength in submarines she and Japan desire, "CUTS" IN AIR FORCE. The Daily Telegraph follows up the disclosures regarding the cancellation of the construction of warships with details of tho Government's "pacific intentions in the Air Service." "The R.A.F. estimates," states the Telegraph, "also are to be made the occasion of a disarmament gesture. The estimates for the coming year only provide for a fraction of an addition to the force, according to the defence standard framed in 1923. The intention is to,provide only one new fighter squadron, making 13, whereas tinder the 102:! programme the squadron should be brought to 18. '•Despite tho fact that 34 regular and non-regular bombing squadrons are required at the en.l of 1930, we shall only have 24 bombing squadrons. though the programme for home an defence was regarded as a bare minimum, and only a fraction of the force can bo applied to an offensive against a foreign enemy. Whereas France lias 1.15'Q first line aircraft and Italy 1000, Britain has only 772 on sea and land'.:", :. . '. ,;