LONDON NAVAL TREATY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18620, 16 July 1930, Page 9

LONDON NAVAL TREATY.

Proposals Before Parliament. ATTITUDE OF EUROPEAN POWERS. British Official Wireless RUGBY, July 15. The First Lord of the Admiralty (Mr A. V. Alexander), introduced in the House of Commons the London Naval Treaty Bill, which is to enable effect to be given to the London Naval Tieaty. Asked as to the progress of the Franco-Italian Naval conversations, the Foreign Secretary (Mr Arthur Henderson) recalled that the Italian Government offered to suspend, while the negotiations for which the Navel Conference was adjourned were proceeding, the laying-down of any units of its 1930 naval programme, provided that similar action was taken by the French Government. He was now able to add that the French Government had informed the Italian Government that in accordance with the arrangements already made, no ship of the French programme would be laid down before December. ACTIVITIES ON CONTINENT. THE DEFENCE OF GERMANY. The building of Germany’s second “pocket battleship” has been definitely postponed as a result of the refusal by the Reichstag by 270 vo.es to 129 to restore the proposed gran:; to the Estimates. During one of the debates the Minister of Defence. General Groener, explained the Government’s views regarding the military and naval organisation permitted by the Treaty of Versailles. He said it would, indeed, be mad and criminal to throw Germany’s ten divisions into an offensive against one of her neighbours. But she must have armed forces capable, with suit-

able defensive works of being an obstacle to any army that sought to enter her territory. He shared the hope that her forces would suffice for this very limited and strictly defensive task. Only if the Germans were able to defend themselves, at any rate for a short time, against an aggressor in

case of war would they give the League of Nations a chance to intervene and apply those measures of pacification

which were now being laboriously worked out at Geneva. A nation that was no longer willing to defend itself was inviting trouble. Nobody appreciated better than he the important task of international reconciliation, in th® spirit of which, according to the Constitution, German youth should b# brought up. But there was a natural limit to it—namely, the instinct of self-preservation in the army and the nation. The Minister elaborated his contention that the armament clauses of the Treaty of Versailles should be exploited to the full so long as an increase of defensive strength was thereby attained. Taking the case of the “pocket battleship,” he said that the renunciation of such a vessel or even of the whole fleet would not give them a single gun more on land. On the other hand, the renunciation of the fleet and even of one battleship would mean a weakening of national defence.

FRANCO-ITALY ATTITUDE. BUILDING PROGRAMME ABANDONED. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received July 15, 5.5 p.m.) PARIS, July 15. Italy has replied to M. Briand, noting with satisfaction France’s offer to abandon naval construction until December 31, of this year. The Note states that Italy has subscribed to this statement.