The Daily News TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1930. IMPERIAL NAVAL STRENGTH

Taranaki Daily News, 13 May 1930, Page 8

The Daily News TUESDAY, MAY 13, 1930. IMPERIAL NAVAL STRENGTH

Any changes that affect the strength of the Imperial Navy are of such vital import to the Dominions and the rest of the Empire that the recent debate in the House of Lords is bound to attract close attention, though it has to be remembered that the great consideration is not now so much whether Britain retains the command of the seas, but whether in the supreme interests of peace the Empire is committed to a policy that upholds the peace pacts, and therefore impels the British Government to implement the peace programme as an earnest of its signatures to those agreements. Naturally the element of security cannot be ignored, and it is no easy task to effect an adjustment between naval strength as viewed from the point of international harmony and resort to arbitration instead of to warfare in order to settle all differences 'that may arise between the nations. Members of the Upper House are seldom found to depart from .the time-honoured custom of discussing matters of more than ordinary importance in an academic spirit, which is supposed to emphasise the dignity of the peerage. But in opening the debate Lord Bridgeman demonstrated that his elevation to the august, assembly was of too recent a date for him to have lest touch with the usages of the House of Commons, and treated his subject from an official point of view as head of the Admiralty in the Conservative regime. His main contention was that no other -country besides Britain had made a step towards disarmament. In that contention he was certainly on sure ground, but he lost sight of the fact that with Britain, America, and Japan in full agreement upon naval limitations, the reasonable inference is that they arc jointly engaged in the business of maintaining peace on land and sea, hence logically committed to obtain that measure of security which could not be possible under the process of naval rivalry. The only anxiety voiced by Lord Carson was whether the Government had the assurance behind it of the approval of the naval experts at the Admiralty concerning the terms of the . naval agreement. On that point Lord Parmoor, on behalf of the Government, stated that it had u consciously and conscientiously” acted upon the advice of its experts, and was satisfied the security of the Empire was amply safeguarded. Much, of course, depends upon the qualification of these experts to form an independent and reliable opinion on such a difficult matter, and it must be assumed, until the contrary is proved, that their judgment follows the weight of the evidence at their disposal. On one detail Lord Reading and Lord Parmoor were quite in accord, namely, that the Government had every reason to congratulate itself upon the concurrence of America and Japan with Britain, and the hope of a future agreement between France and Italy. Lord Jellicoe, whose views are entitled to the highest respect, contended that in view of what was being done in the navies of other countries the reduction now proposed went beyond- the limits of safety. He instanced the destructive operations of two German raiders during the war, arguing that if 114 British cruisers were unable to prevent that damage Britain could not expect 50 cruisers to prevent damage to trade and food supplies, and to secure sea communications. That argument would be unanswerable did prewar conditions exist, but in the light of the fact that the movement to limit naval armaments is a corollary of the peace agreements it loses much of its force. Lord Parmoor naturally replied that the Government believed it had achieved two great results — the security of the country and the splendid friendliness between Britain, America and Japan, while the negotiations between France and Italy were not closed. The whole subject is to a certain extent speculative, resting as it does on the good faith of the nations concerned. The foundation may develop flaws, but in the interests of peace some risks must be taken.