NAVY ESTIMATES

Southland Times, Issue 21648, 9 March 1932, Page 5

NAVY ESTIMATES

LOWEST SINCE 1913 SECURITY FOR TRADE ROUTES RESTRICTED PROGRAMME (United Press Assn.—Py Telegraph—Copyright.) (Rec. 5.0 p.m.) London, March 7. In the House of Commons Sir Bolton Eyres- Monsell, First Lord of the Admiralty, in introducing the Navy Estimates, said he felt like Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde, as he had just returned from the Disarmament Conference. The programme was rigidly limited by the Washington and London naval treaties. He hoped the Disarmament Conference would reduce the sizes of ships, including lighter cruisers. If it did not we would be forced to build bigger ships and seek more cruiser tonnage. The present were the lowest Navy Estimates since 1913. Our danger was not invasion, but the interruption and destruction of the mercantile marine. The Empire’s ships and cargoes, worth £700,000,000, were spread , over 80,000 miles of sea routes. For their security many lightly armed cruisers were needed. This was a small insurance to pay for the security of our trade. Signor Grandi (Italy) had shown at Geneva that the world expenditure on armaments from 1925 to 1930 had increased by £126,000,000. British naval expenditure during this period had fallen by £8,000.000. Mr George Hall, former Labour Civil Lord of the Admiralty, said Labour would support the largest possible reduction in armed forces obtainable at the Disarmament Conference. He asked if the Government decided to slow down the work on the Singapore Base. He knew of difficulties in view of the commitments to contractors and generous contributions by tie dominions and colonies. Sir Austin Chamberlain said the Navy was incomparably weaker than before the war an- 1 proportionately weaker than other navies. Year after year in anticipation of disarmament in other lands, Britain had made drastic reductions while they had built up forces These estimates were not measured by wha* was required for defence and the fulfilment of our obligations but they were dictated solely by our extreme financial emergency and were defensible only on that ground. The Navy vote was carried.