NAVAL LIMITATION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17179, 8 February 1930, Page 6

NAVAL LIMITATION

BRITISH POLICY REDUCTION IN FLEETS ATTEMPT TO KEEP SEAS OPEN IMPORTANT 51 EM ORAN DEM (Uritisli Oilicial Wireless.) lice. 1 p.m. RUGBY, Feb. 7. :\i a very late hour last night the American delegation to tlie h ive-i’ower i\aval Conference issued a document containing a list of proposals. These had been communicated Lo tlie other delegations a- siiort while previously, and so far as the Butisu delegation is concerned are now receiving careful and detailed examination. A further important document is being issued this afternoon by the. lSjilisli delegation, which outlines a. scheme of naval limitation upon which they have been working in the course of negulia(ions. When I lie plenary session is hold on Tuesday to discuss in public tho question of submarines, Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, while again stating Britain’s willingness lo abolish underwater craft, will recognise that the attitude of the. other [lowers makes this practically an impossibility, and will set forth proposals regarding the limitation of submarine tonnage, bulb of category as a whole and of individual craft, and will suggest, t.liat the functions anti obligations of submarines in wartime should be subject to agreement by the powers. The policy of the British Government at the conference is set forth in an important memorandum which is being laid in the House of Commons, a, summary of which was issued this afternoon. Jo a. belief is expressed that, the conference ought not only to reduce the existing heels ami building programmes, but also (o end naval competition, thus making an important step towards Ibe firm establishment of peace. The. British policy, it is pointed out, is to keep the seas open tor trade and roniiniinica.tion, and i- relation to the political state of tlie world to lake, what slops lire necessary to secure ibis. NAVAL NEEDS. In estimating Us naval needs tho Briusn Government also has to take into m.epum its oia.gations miner the League Covenant, and other roniuntinems wincu nave lo lit, lulnlletl m relation to iin: present ..tale, ol woriu government, and tews lisat il naval esiannslnnenis are not it) he a menace ibc equilibrium must ne maintained oy means of international agreements. it leeis, moreover, Hiatt tills equilibrium will out. lie. secured by oj'-i'u numerical equality m ships ami tonnage, Cut only by tins adoption, o£ agreed programme, based on consoler.itions ot requirements affecting dispersions and other mutters, and m winch the menace will be reduced as much as possible. This cannot ne done by any genu-iil lornmla or ratio. ji must bo the subject of conferences and of agreements made for periods, at the end of which they should' be reviewed, anti during wlncn tlio governments .should bo engaged in strengthening the foundations of peace, it is, therefore, proposed that the general agreement resulting- from this conference ,should run until 1936, and that in 1935 a further conference should ho called to review the situation in relation to world relations. In view of these, considerations, tho British Government suggests the followmg proposals; Tho agreement should bo not only upon global tonnage, but upon tlie size ol individual ships in various categories and upon the tonnage used by each nation in each of these categories; Iho categories should he ; Capital ships, aircraft earners, cruisers, destroyers and submarines; agreement by categories is necessary to eliminate competitive building and the maintenance of the equilibrium between the fleets. These two points are essential a security is to. be obtained. «-t is not only the total tonnage oi a fleet which counts, but the use to which these tons are put, and an agreement' on the latter point is called lor. At the same time, it might he convenient to allow a percentage of tho tonnage assigned to the different categoiics tii he transferred to other categories. Ihe British Government, however, does not favor a general Iransl'cr, and is opposed lo a. transfer in capital ships, aircraft- carriers, and submarines, in regard (o cruisers, it- would permit, a transler out of the Bin. class into Ihe bin. class on a percentage which remains to be arranged, thus taking into account the special needs of countries which require a large proportion of small cruisers. Regarding cruisers, the memorandum recalls that it was assumed during the recent Anglo-American conversations that they should be grouped in one Allegory, which in turn should he subdivided into cruisers carrying 6in. guns and under. It was also assumed during Hie negotiations that the requirements ol the British Commonwealth would ho 339.000 tons, divided into 50 cruisers. A final arrangement, will be governed by the decision of the conference. SIZE OF UNITS Regarding the limitation in tho size ol unils, flu' British Government proposes that the existing tonnage limit of thn. cruisers should ‘remain at 10,(XX) tons and that there should he a ioniiago limit for smaller vessels at about 6000 or 7GCO lons. It suggests that only a fixed proportion in the latter class should be built up to lliat limit and that the life of cruisers should be 20 years. In regard to destroyers, the Government proposes that the limit assigned should for leaders he 1850 tons and for desroyer.s 1500 tons, with Sin. guns the maximum tor both classes. The present British building programme of destroyers is lor 200,080 tons ultimately, hut (Ins can be reduced if the submarine programmes ol other powers are reduced, for it is obvious that tho size and total tonnage, of destroyers must largely depend upon the size and total tonnage of submarines. Tlie Government proposes the abolition of submarines. Its experts feel that the argument that the submarine is an arm solely of defence was destroyed bv tlie experience of the late war and (hat in war renditions it is an arm nl attack. II (lie abolition of, submarines cannot la- agreed upon the British Government will pu! forward proposals limiting submarines rigidly to defence requirements. In any case, il will press for the limitation of submarines to the lowest possible limit and it proposes to urge a revival of the agreement signed at Washington m 1922 hut not ratified by all Hie signatory powers, which would regulate in the interests of humanity Hie use of submarines against merclianl ships. In regard to auxiliary vessels no! strictly entering into licet strength. tlie Government proposes lliat they should he speeilied and lliat each Government should publish yearly lists of vessels of lliis class in commission and laid down. The ltiilisli memorandum and Aineriian proposals will he .studied by the. delegations during the weekend. Mr. MacDonald, who had a conversation with Mr. Sliinson this morning, is going to Chequers, where to-morrow he will entertain members of the Italian delegation to luncheon. Naval experts I'Uending the conference will visit Chequers during the afternoon. No official 'meetings have been arranged before Monday, when the first committee resumes ' consideration of alternative methods of ascertaining naval tonnage.