PROBLEM OF PARITY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17180, 10 February 1930, Page 5

PROBLEM OF PARITY

BRITAIN AND AMERICA NAVAL LIMITATION A COMPLICATED PROPOSAL. (Elec. Tef. Copyright--United Press Assn.) WASHINGTON, Feb. 8. While a further reverberation on Air. Stimsiiu's cruiser statement is contained ill lilt) address to-day by Air. I'Yeiich, chairman of the House Naval subCommittee, that it is satisfactory and calculated to inspire confidence in the conference, it is interesting to note tho varied reactions here to the British statement. There is one poini of view that, while. Britain is to be commended for slating frankly and fully its programme, it would unnecessarily complicate the present conference if (be con siderations of the battleship position were now taken up. since then' are enough and no limit to the unrestricted classes of warships.

Another view is that Mr. Ktiuison is doubtless drafting a plan lor compensations as concerns the. battleship proposals, and that Britain would be required to reduce her battleship tonnage below America's to compensate for the superiority of the Rodney and the Nelson, and that the numerical battleship parity would not ho a parity at all. Another point of view is that the United States may ask to le allowed to build at least one more 35,000-ton battleship, as another method of securing actual fighting strength parity as well as numerical parity. According to Mr. Hide, chairman of the Senate, Naval Affairs Committee, Mr. Stimson's offer in London "manifestly does not provide for our American naval needs." Air. Hale added that any such agreement would be fully threshed out- in the Senate. He said that Mr. Stimson's offer involved very

radical changes in (lie position heretofore taken by the Navy Department and the Government. "I realise fully the difficulties which confront the American delegation in London, and I still hope an agreement, will be reached Hiving each country the parity it demands, and, at the same time, recog nising American needs," he concluded. Senator Borah says: "I feel that Britain ought, to scrap more of her cruisers, but I have faith in our delegation io bring about a reduction if possible." " Senator Allen called the Stimson plan "admirable." He emphasised its "openness, simplicity, and absence of cunning." Mr. Britten, chairman of the House iNaval Affairs Committee, expressed dis appointment. He said: "Either the United .States has been wrong for the last few years, or else is wrong now. We had previously declared that small cruisers were little use to us. Now we as good as propose to build 150,000 tons of them, to bring us up to parity with Britain. There is no parity if we build only vessels which are useful to England and useless to us." UNFAVORABLE COMMENT . FRANCE AND JAPAN LONDON, Fell. 9. Mr. Stimson's comprehensive proposal for disarmament is being widely and unfavorably discussed in the Japa ncso vernacular papers. The authorities are reticent and non-committal, but it is evident that they consider it unacceptable owing to "the failure to con cede Japan 7D per cent., which she claimed as the irreducible minimum, not merely as ft. bargaining point. The French press is critical of the latest Anglo-American conference moves. Several papers suggest that Britain is aiming at the maintenance of naval supremacy, which she, cannot longer afford, by getting a kind of parity with the United States, which the hitter's people may not wecome. The campaign against submarines is derided as academical and oratorical. The German Government, will probably postpone till 1931 the initial vote for the construction of the Erstaa Preussen, partly owingi to the necessity for economy and partly due to Socialist opposition,'.based on a feeling that the expenditure is out of keeping with the disarmament discussions. THE BRITISH NAVY PRINCIPAL DEFENSIVE ARM LONDON, Feb. 8. "When we approach further naval disarmament conferences, the additional reductions Britain might make must be governed entirely by the, contribution of the military 'Powers, not the naval Powers," said'First Lord of the Admiralty. Mr. A. V. Alexander, addressing the Twelfth London Regiment of Territorials. "The navy," lie added, "is ihe principal defensive arm of the Empire, and Britain cannot further reduce her sea power until she knows how far the others are prepared to meet her by reducing their land and air armaments." DOMINIONS' ATTITUDE SUGGESTION OF DIFFERENCES • (Received February 10, 11 a.m.) LONDON, Feb. 9. Experts representing the, five naval Powers during thu week-end visited Mr. Ilamsay MacDonald nt Chequers, it is understood that their discussion concerned the Anglo-American memoranda and their relation to policies. An interesting position may arise during the coining week affecting tho Dominions. Though Friday's British statement was headed "Memorandum setting forth the policy of His Majesty's Government," tho British spokesman revealed its discussion by the Dominions, "who agreed thereto, so unofficially it also represents tho views of tho Dominions." The Australian Press Association understands that, though assenting to the declaration, some of the Dominions expressed a fear that Britain was going a little too far in depleting its fleet before Japan, France and Italyhad shown their hands. It is known that the Canadians are relieved of a measure of anxiety relating to tho Pacific by America's readiness to reduce tho number of largo cruisers to IS, so presumably the aforementioned doubt exists in the minds of the Australian and New Zealand delegations for the, safety of the Empire's outposts. It is possible that Mr. Fenton's and Mr. Wilford \s voices may be heard on Tuesday as to the nature of the Dominions' reservations on the memorandum, FRENCH DISTRUST ANGLO-U.S. SUPREMACY (Received February 10, 11 a.m.) PARTS, Feb. 9. French distrust and disillusion are reflected in press comments, Le Temps

says the memoranda mean that the United States would like to have naval supremacy at the smallest cost, while Britain is Irvine to maintain her supremacy by sharing it, with the United States "in order to realise important economies. "Pertinax," in Echo do Paris, says Anglo-American naval supremacy is to be, maintained by tying France and Italy down to eloselv defined, comparatively innocuous, types. SUB-COMMITTEE'S WORK GOOD PROGRESS REPORTED (British Official Wireless.) Rec. noon. RUGBi', Feb. 'J The experts sub-committee of the naval conference met in London yester day, and nt tho conclusion of their deliberations the following communique was issued by the United States delegation: "The sub-committee of experts continued the examination of the table establishing the classification of categories to be drawn up for submission to Ihe lirst committee. Good progress was made with this work, and the special still-committee will meet again on Mori day morning to take up the question ol vessels not subject to limitation, and special ships such as mine sweepers. mine layers, hospital ships, and sloops, ivliich were, referred to by the first committee."

A HOPEFUL SIGN ANGLO-U.S. ACCORD A STIMULUS TO INTEREST (British Official Wire-loss.) Rec. noon. RUGBY, Feb. 9. The Times in a leading article says the memorandum setting forth the policy of the British Government, following the important statement mtfcdc by Mr. Stimson, the American delegate, will give a powerful stimulus to public interest in the naval conference. Where the two documents deal with the same subject they are in such close accord that nothing delays a final settlement between the two countries except the fact that the terms of any arrangement between them must be conditioned by the arrangements made with and between the other three powers. The ideal treaty with which it is hoped to consummate the work of the conference is a treaty limiting the programmes of all live. The substantial .accord of the British and American views is the inure significant in that the British memorandum, although issued in the name only of the British Government, has been discussed with the delegations of all the Dominions, and approved by them, so that it is, in effect, a considered statement o* the policy of the whole British Eflipire. It is a hopeful augury for the success of the conference that on the issues between them the representatives of the United States and bite nations included in the British 'Empire should have readied conclusions so closely in agreement,