STRONGER NAVY

Taranaki Daily News, 8 March 1935, Page 5

STRONGER NAVY

BRITAIN’S PROPOSALS

IMPROVEMENTS TO SHIPS

PROLONGATION OF LIVES

INCREASE IN ESTIMATES

NO UNUSUAL BUILDING

British Wireless. Rugby, March 6. The total expenditure in the British Navy estimates is set down at £60,050,000, an increase of £3,500,000 on last year’s estimates. The sum of £2,553,00 is being expended mainly on large repairs and modernisation of capital ships with a view to the prolongation of their lives. Provision is made for an increase of 2000 in the fleet’s personnel. The . memorandum of Sir Bolton EyresMonsell, First Lord of the Admiralty, says the number of cruisers, destroyers and submarines to be ordered is the same as in previous programmes since the treaty. As the effect of the large repair • programme will fall heavily upon the Queen Elizabeth class in the next few years, it has been decided to station battle-cruisers in the Mediterranean in order to equalise the number of ships in the Home and Mediterranean fleets. Of the increase of £3,500,000, £246,196 is. required to make normal progress, with new construction. There will be a rise of £166,200 in non-effective votes, which js an automatic increase, and £535.000 in expenditure on the fleet air arm. The new construction programme for 1935 is three cruisers, one leader and eight destroyers, three submarines, one submarine depot ship, four sloops (three mine-sweepers and one convoy sloop), one surveying ship and seven srnall vessels. The building of new cruisers, destroyers and submarines continues to be governed by the London Naval Treaty until the end of 1936. Civil and service estimates thus far issued total £554,000,000, an increase of £13,500,000 on last year’s estimates. The total increase in the estimates of the three British defence services approximates £10,000,000. As explained in the White Paper and in the notes accompanying the separate estimates, most of. this money is required for modernisation in view of the economies made in regent years largely with a desire to aid rather than embarrass efforts towards an international' peace agreement. Only in the case of the air service is any enlargement of force contemplated, and Britain, which had the largest air force-in the. world e war, now ranks only fifth or sixth in point of size.

OPPOSITION TO POLICY

HENDERSON MAY RESIGN EFFECT UPON THE LEAGUE By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright London, March 6. Mr. Arthur Henderson, chairman of the Disarmament Conference, attended a Labour Party meeting which passed , a resolution expressing the opinion that the new defence White Paper gravely prejudiced the success of the Disarmament Conference. An official report, referring to the suggestion that Mr. Henderson is likely to resign the conference chairmanship,, expresses the opinion that this is purely, a matter for Mr. Henderson’s own decision. . The Labour Party’s motion, which Mr. C. R. Attlee will move in the defence debate in the House of Commons on March 11, contends that the Government’s policy is completely at variance with the spirit.-in which the League of Nations was created to establish collective world peace, that it jeopardises the prospect of ,< any disarmament convention, and that instead di ensuring - national safety it will lead to international competition and engender insecurity which will ultimately lead to war.