MANY MILLIONS SAVED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17237, 17 April 1930, Page 8

MANY MILLIONS SAVED

THE NAVAL AGREEMENT ! WHITE PAPER ISSUED IMMKHrATR REDUCTIONS. (British Official Wireless.) Viw.. 2 p.m. RUGBY, April 16. ,\ memorandum on the results of the X.iv:il Conference to date, in the form of it While Paper, was laid on tho table . in the House of Commons this evening. It surveys the main achievements of the conference . and explains the resultant position, thus expressing in official form the farts already published. Precedence is given to the complete agreement between all live powers not In lay down any of the 35,000 ton replacement ships during the years 1931 to L 956 inclusive. The British commonwealth, the United States, and Japan begin at once a reduction of their capital ships to 15. 15, and 9 respectively, while Franco and Italy only reserve their right of constructing additional ships from the replacement tonnage available to them since the signature of the Washington Treaty until to-day. Details are given of tonnages under the agreement between the British commonwealth, the United States, and Japan, and it is mentioned that this section of the treaty will contain a clause safeguarding the British position in relation to the building programmes of other powers. It is also noted that the agreed figure of 150.000 tons of destroyers for the British commonwealth must be conditional on tlie agreed destroyer and submarine strength of the European powers at tho conference, and that this will be the subject of further negotiations with thn.se powers. Tll.lv FINANCIAL SAVINGS. Referring to the financial savings, tlie memorandum points out that but for the agreement, at, the conference Britain would have probably expended £50,000,000 on battleship construction by 1936. and that a further £4,000,000 would be saved by the reduction at once of British capital .ships to 15 As to armament reduction, at tlie unsuccessful naval conference at Geneva in 1927 the final British proposal was for a combined total tonnage of cruisers, destroyers and submarines, including average vessels, of 737,500 ' tons. The. comparable; total agreed upon to-day is 541.700 to/is. Further expenditure in these classes of ships of at least £15,000,000 has been avoided. Considerable, as are these material results, the memorandum regards as even umre important the mutual improvement of the political relations which they imply, and the hope is expressed that during the next stage of the conference an agreement may be reached with the French and Italians at levels which' will permit the incorporation of their programmes and figures in tho agreement already roaehc/1 between the threo other powers. Replying to a question in the House of Commons, Mr. A. V. Alexander, First- Lord of tlie Admiralty, stated that under rules for replacement agreed upon at the Naval Conference two ships of the Hawkins class will have reached the aue at which they might be replaced in 1934 and 1935 respectively.-*" It had been agreed that the remaining two cruisers, the completion of which- was. delayed owing to conditions following the war. might be replaced in 1936. Mr. Alexander, in answer to Commander J. M. Keinvorthy, said the tontnges of the British, American, and. Japanese cruisers built and under 2Q years of age were:— Tons. British Empire 327,000 United Stales 1)0,500 Japan ... 1G0,750 Commander Keuworlhy: In the figiires agreed upon at it lie naval conference, won't all these figures, except she British, be increased, the America H very substantially? Mr. Alexander: That is putting the results of the conference in a most unfair light. Commander Konworthy: Am I not tho best judge of. the fairness of tho question, seeing that the conference was called for the limitation of armaments '

Air. Alexander: Reduction and limitation have proceeded to such an extent that last week President Hoover said it would save America £200,000,(10(1.