PRELIMINARY TERMS OUTLINED.

Colonist, Volume LXI, Issue 15000, 22 February 1919, Page 5

PRELIMINARY TERMS OUTLINED.

GERMAN NAVY TO BE DESTROYED

MAINTENANCE OF BRITISH

SUPREMACY

FUTURE NAVAL POLICY

(United Service.)

(deceived Feb. 21, 7.10 p.m.)

Paris, Feb. 19

The main clauses of the Allies' terms, which have reached the final stage for inclusion in the peace preliminaries, will be found of dramatic interest. They not only drastically destroy the last remnants of German.naval power, biit also show how the respective navies will fare under the League of Nations scheme. Germany will be compelled to hand over immediately eight more battle-ships, including the Oldenburg; Helgoland, and others in their classes; eight cruisers of the Strnssburg class; 4-." modern destroyers;, and fifty torpedoboats, as well as all her remaining submarines. All .sorts of warships in construction must be stopped, and vessels under construction or repair will be

broken up under British supervision

All the above ships are to be destroyed within throe months, and tlio submarines within fifteen days. The intention seems to be to bun; into the German mind that guns have failed them. ■The auxiliary cruisers are to he dismantled of warlike material, which will be destroyed, and the ships then, as ordinary merchantmen, included in the Lst of urizes which v.-ill he considered in payment of reparation. Material commercially useful will be saved, butj i anything that cannot 'be utilised will be! sunk or exploded. I

Thus ends Germany's naval ambitions. She will be reduced to a few .warships, s>bo\vt enough to police her dwindling coast-line, and that is where the Powers forming the initial League of Nations mean to keep her. The scale of construction permitted her will be f> narrow one. How otlier navies will stand under the League covenant is indefinite, but obviously but for the forecast of reductions the Allies would have divided the German fleet amongst themselves instead of destroying it had the imperative demand for saving money on armaments not been recognised.

The decision to destroy the German fleet has still to be finally ratified, but, though it is certain this course will be followed, obviously the British, American, Japanese, and French navies will remain as the only great fleets, and ?ome nebulous understanding already exists concerning their respective

strengths. There need be no trepidation that British policy will surrender British predominance. Every British delegate recognises that it is vital to sustain British 'naval power in spite of the League of Nations. Britain will probably be found M-illing, and even eager, to reduce her Navy to its pre-war ] strength. In other words, war accretions will probably be given up. This may be taken as practically decided.

A question that is bein<j considered is what will be done with these fine ships that are no longer desired by the Admiralty. The answer to this important and interesting question is in the Dominions' and British policy and dej sires, and the League would most'certainly approve that these vessels re handed to the Dominions for the Dominions' navies. Nev/ Zealand and South Africa would institute local navies. All the old distrust of separate Dominion navies seems to have disappeared. The general question of the redistribution of the cost of the general defence of the Empire will be brought up at the Imperial Conference in London immediately after the Peace Congress. This thorny subject, which is full of difficulties, might largely be settled beforehand if the Dominions accept responsibility for the cost of maintaining local1 ravies. It is believed that New Zealand l nnd South Africa have already been mounded. Indeed, a New Zealand navy seems a likely eventuality.