TO SCRAP FLEET

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1930, Page 9

TO SCRAP FLEET

PROPOSALS OF ITALIANS POLICY AT THE CONFERENCE ATTITUDE OF MUSSOLINI PROBLEM OF BATTLESHIPS By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. Rec. 5.5 p.m. London, Jan. 18. The Daily Mail gives prominence to a telegram from Geneva to the effect that Signor " Grandi’s speech on Tuesday may be as startling as Mr. Hughes’ speech at Washington in 10'21. Signor Mussolini wants his delegate to announce startling proposals, which are that Italy is prepared to scrap practically her entire fleet. The Italian Government realises that any agreement at the conference will leave Italy one of the weakest naval powers. Accordingly complete naval disarmament is obviously to her advantage. The financial position of Italy makes naval parity with France an idle dream. Apart from his opening gesture, Signor Grandi will offer support to any American demand for drastic reductions.' Signor Mussolini considers it intolerable the strong Powers should be able to leave their weaker brethren in a state of hopeless inferiority. The impression prevails in Washington, says a cable, that the American delegation will not oppose consideration of Mr. MacDonald’s proposal to abolish capital ships providing certain definite conditions are met before the subject is introduced. Informed observers feel that the London Conference is not suited to the discussion of capital ship abolition simply because the agenda already contains extremely difficult questions, which take precedence over such abolition. Less than one-seventh of the space in the Royal Gallery at the House of Lords will be occupied by the delegates at a horseshoe table at the opening of the naval conference. The remainder will be crammed tight to accommodate 3'Bo journalists from all parts of the world. There will be no room to supply tables for them, so they will have to write on their knees. The room is a magnificent setting, the galleries being in gold with knotted scarlet panels, gilded freizes and imposing paintings in which there are striking contrasts—epic martial event of history with the present world attempt to escape from the more fearsome modern methods of destruction. The delegates will sit immediately beneath a huge mural canvas of Lord Nelson’s death at the battle of Trafalgar. Facing them will be another, the “Battle of Waterloo.” It will be a wonderful occasion to which the whole world will be listening if the atmospherics behave themselves.

WILL SCRAP 11 BATTLESHIPS . 4 REDUCED SIZE THE ALTERNATIVE FORECAST OF AMERICAN POLICY. Rec. 11 p.m. New York, Jan. 18. The Herald Tribune’s Washington correspondent states: “In advance of an announcement of the formal policy of the American delegation at the London Conference it was learned officially today that the United States is prepared not only to declare a five years’ battleship holiday but to scrap permanently 11 capital ships which would become obsolete at the end of the holiday. “It can be announced on the same high authority that as an alternative to drastic reductions of the battleship fleets the United States is prepared to recommend a reduction of the authorised eize of capital ships from 35,000 tone to considerably less than 25,000 tons, the lowest figure yet proposed by Britain for capital ships of the future/’ ARRIVAL OF THE DELEGATES. 'BRITISH PROPOSALS NOT NEW. British Wireless. Rugby, Jan. 17. Mr. H. L. Stimson, Secretary of State, Mr. Adams, Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Morrow, United States Ambassador in Mexico, and Senators Robinson and Reed, the United States delegates to the naval conference, reached Plymouth this morning and were welcomed at . the quayside by General American Ambassador, who is 'himself one of the delegates, the Mayor and other civic Signatories of Plymouth, and Admiral Sir Hubert Brand. All the delegates expressed keen satisfaction that the King was now sufficiently well to honour the delegations by addressing them at Tuesday’s meeting. In relation to the British programme for the conference it is pointed out that a proposal much to the same effect was made by the late Conservative Government at the Geneva conference and met with a hopeful reception. Viscount Bridgeman estimates that if it had been adopted it would have meant a saving of about £50,0'00,000 in the period of replacement. “No dou'bt the reductions advocated can hardly be as sweeping as both the economists and an important section of naval opinion would hope to . see them,” says the Tinies. "The British Government is rightly sensitive to the danger of bringing forward too drastic proposals, which might wreck all chance of agreement but, after the long years during which, through unrestricted competition, the size and cost of every lass of warship have soared continuously upward, an agreement to reverse the process at all would be a very welcome achievement.” Mr. Stimson and other members of the American delegation were received on their arrival at Paddington station, London, this afternoon by Mr. A. Henderson, Foreign Secretary, Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Robert Vansittart, under-secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Craigie, iicad of the American Department ®f the Foreign Office ami Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, son

of the Prime Minister, who represented his father. There was a large crowd of the general public on the platform. Within about an hour .Mr. Stimson was received by the Prime Minister in Downing Street. Their conversation lasted just over three hours. The Italian delegation, headed by Signor Grandi, arrived at Victoria station, London, later in the day. “Thanks for welcoming a pilgrim back to Plymouth. We come full of high hopes in an endeavour to make the conference a success,” was all Mr. Stimson had to say on his arrival at dawn. There will.be no ceremonial at the opening of the conference. His Majesty will enter at 11 o’clock and immediately deliver the opening speech. Then there will be speeches by .Mr. MacDonald and the other leaders. The session is expected to end at 1 o’clock. Mr. Fenton had a lengthy conference with Mr. Alexander and members of the Admirlaty. Mr. Fenton did not comment beyond stating that he was sure the Empire was in harmony on the main points which it was important to advance in the new peace ideals.