ARMAMENT PROBLEM.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 October 1921, Page 5

ARMAMENT PROBLEM.

MEETING OF NATIONS. AMERICA HAS A SCHEME. LIMITATION OF NAVIES. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Oct. 26, 9.45 p.m. New York, Oct. 25. The New York Times’ Washington correspondent states that the American Government has a plan ready for the limitation of naval armament, which it intends to present to the Washington Conference.

Distinction is made here between naval disarmament, reduction of armaments and the limitation of future armamente. Both disarmament and a reduction of armaments by scrapping the commissioned units are considered unlikely. The American Government is giving close attention to the equipment of merchantmen into armed warships as a phase of the naval armaments question. It is pointed out that the ease with which merchantmen can be equipped with guns and commissioned for war service makes it necessary that the conference should consider the relative naval strength which the nations of the world possess in their merchant fleets. It would be futile to make arrangements for a curtailment of navies without a limitation of the use of commercial fleets for purposes of armed sea war.— Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

BURDEN OF ARMAMENTS.

FAVORS CENTRAL POWERS. New York, Oct. 24. Count Kato, interviewed at Washington, said that the disarmed Central Powers of Europe had a distinct advantage over the Allies since they did not have to bear the costs of huge armaments. The defeated Powers would ultimately gain the upper hand over the victors unless the latter could throw off the crushing burden of armaments. OPENS ON NOVEMBER 12. Washington, Oct. 25. The State Department announced that the opening of the Armament Conference has been postponed to November 12.