NATIONS’ NAVAL NEEDS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 840, 7 December 1929, Page 1

NATIONS’ NAVAL NEEDS

France Submits a Ratio RESISTS PARITY WITH ITALY British Empire’s Strong Case United P.A.—By Telegraph— Copyright Times Cable. Reed. 9.40 a.m. LONDON, Friday. rE naval memorandum of the French Foreign Minister, M. Aristide Briand, has been handed to the Italian Ambassador in Paris. It amounts to a reply to Italy’s claim for naval parity with France.

M. liriand indicated that parity could not be taken as a basis for the Fraaco-Italian negotiations, which must be based on the defensive needs of the two countries. The French viewpoint is that, the needs of the two countries are so dis similar that parity would place France at a serious disadvantage, because she is obliged to protect world-wide interests, whereas the task of the Italian Navy is virtually limited to the Mediterranean. France declines to take AngloAmerican parity as an analogy, because the existing difference in favour of France, compared with Italy, is 50 per cent, all round. If it were possible, France would accept parity in the Mediterranean, with a margin for defence of her coasts elsewhere, also for protection of the colonies and communications; but obviously Italy would object to France maintaining this reserve of tonnage. France, therefore, proposes to leave parity from the disenssion in the early stages, and to proceed with a full and trank examination of practical necessities.

The French. Ministry of Marine has already estimated the French require-

ments and laid down the figures at which she is aiming. These involve a considerable increase in the present strength of the French Navy. The question whether it will be agreed that France should eventually be allowed to build to the same figures depends largely on the London Five Power Conference, but it can be taken as certain that she will insist on Italy justifying her programme on a basis of defensive necessities. The French Ministry has prepared so-called “co-efficients of defence” for the Five Powers, under various headings. The tables are as follow: Area of Territory British Empire 158 United States 40 Japan 3 France 47 Italy io Coastlines British Empire 95 United States 46 Japan 30 France 23 Italy 10 Length of Communications British Empire 112 United States 32 Japan .. io France 66 Italy 10 The Ministry has also calculated similar figures based on commerce: Externa] Trade British Empire 106 United States . .. 53 Japan 13 France 27 Italy 10 Seaborne Traffic British Empire 178 United States 76 Japan 23 France 36 Italy 10 NAVAL NEEDS If all the figures are taken together, the result is that the proportionate naval needs are: British Empire 100 United States 42 France 30 Japan 16 Italy 10 Thus France estimates her naval necessities as far ahead of Japan’s, and not greatly below those of America, although far below those of the British Empire, and three fold Italy’s needs. “The calculations do not take into account political realities; but they show why, on technical . grounds, France is unlikely to admit Italy’s claim for parity with France,” concludes the memorandum.