DOST OF BRITISH NAVY

Taranaki Daily News, 9 March 1932, Page 7

DOST OF BRITISH NAVY

ADOPTION OF ESTIMATES

INSURANCE FOIR THE EMPIRE

FURTHER REDUCTION MADE

HOPES FOR DISARMAMENT

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright.

Rec. 5.5 p.m. London, March 7. Introducing the navy estimates of £so,* 476,000 in the House of Commons, Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell, First Lord of the Admiralty, said he felt like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as he, hacj just returned from the disarmament conference. The British Navy programme was rigidly limited by the Washington and London naval treaties. Sir Bolton said he hoped the disarmament conference would reduce the sizes of ships, including lighter cruisers. If it did not they would be forced to build bigger ships and seek more cruiser tonnage. The present estimates were the lowest navy estimates since 1913. Britain’s danger was not from invasion but from interruption and the destruction ,of the mercantile marine.

The Empire’s ships and cargoes, worth £700,000,000, were spread over 80,000 miles of sea routes. For its security it needed many lightly armed cruisers. * This was a small insurance to pay for the security of the Empire’s trade. Signor Grandi had shown at Geneva, said Sir Bolton, that the world expenditure on armaments from 1925 to 1930 had increased by £126,900,000. The British naval expenditure during that period had fallen by £8,000,000. Mr. George Hall, who was Civil Lord of the Admiralty in the Labour Ministry, said the Labour Party would support the largest possible reduction in armed forces obtainable at the disarmament conference. He asked if the Government had decided to slow work on the Singapore base. He knew of difficulties in view of commitments to contractors and the generous contributions by the Dominions and Colonies. Sir Austen Chamberlain said the navy was incomparably weaker than before the war and was proportionately weaker than other navies. Year after year, in anticipation of disarmament in other lands, Britain had made drastic reductions while other nations had built up their forces. These estimates were not measured by what was required for defence and the fulfilment of obligations; they were dictated solely by the extreme financial emergency and were defensible only on that ground. The estimates were adopted. They represent a saving of £1,128,000 on last year.