PROBLEM OF ARMAMENTS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16583, 16 November 1921, Page 2

PROBLEM OF ARMAMENTS.

! SRiTfSH PARLIAMENT'S . REPLY. | i ! By Te’e^raph—Press Association—Copyrtßki. ; 1 Australian er.<3 N.Z. Cable Ae*o<-lation. ; LONDON. November 15. | I OTcinjt to .Irish exigencies, doubts ! have again been created regarding the I possibility of Mr Lloyd George going jto Washington. In the meantime Mr Balfour telegraphs a daily summary of the proceedings. The Australian and Netv Zealand Press Association understands that though those-, with fortic-n comment, are ven* voluminous, all are completely digested,, as submitted. Numerous varying opinions have been expressed here and on the Continent, which are wide of the mark i ho far as motives and details are con- j ; cerned. These will not affect the Bri- j | fish decision at all. Details will be j weighed by the Committee of Imperial I Defence, which will report to Cabinet. 1 The entire question will then 'be laid 1 before both Houses of Parliament, | which will finally decide the British reply. The problems confronting the j Unite- 1 States and Japan are not eomI parable to those of Britain, which are I flfcunendous. i Then the American view-point is ’ changing, technical experts considering that more tonnage in older vessels should be fcraoped rather than c»ew vessels. Meantime Mr Denby announced to-day that the Navy Department will eontina* building until an agreement has been Reached. DOMINIONS VITALLY AFFLICTED. LONDON, November 15 l India, the Far East. Australasia, ; Canada and the West Indies arc all seriously involved in all the naval questions. It is not unlikely that consid j enable correspondence will necessarily j bo exchanged between the Mother Covin--1 try and the overseas Empire units bei fore the Imperial Government attempts jto formulate a case for Parliament. ! Public opinion is undoubtedly in favour lof the end of the armaments, the ' burden of which, in view of existing i economic burdens, is intolerable and j hateful. THE FOUR HOODS CONTRACT. LONDON. November 15. The “ Daily News ” recalls Sir Donald Maclean’s warning that embarrassment would arise through awarding the super-Hood contracts on the eve of the conference. “It is evident in responsible quarters,” it says, “ that opposition to naval scrapping proposals is anticipated from opponents who, having influential friends, will surrender only tr? public opiniou strong enough to insist on th© abandonment of the Hoods enterprise.” SLUMP IN AMERICAN STEEL STOCKS. NEW YORK, November 14. Steel stocks as a result of the disarmament proposals 'are losing heavily on the Stock Exchange. The Bethlehem Steel Company, one of the largest producers of armour in the world, has ; lost nearly five points, while other ! stocks, including United States Street Corporation lost from one to two I points. —— POSITION OF BRITAIN. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. LONDON, November 14. i Mr Archibald Hurd, in the “ Daily Telegraph,” says:—“The United States | I proposals are statesmanlike. America ! ; herself proposes big sacrifices, but Brit- ! i ain is also asked to do much in aban- ; | doniug the four now' Hoods. Neverthe- i less, we would be saved £30,000,000, j i apart from expenditure on new docks, j I Britain is also asked to agree to a j standard of naval strength below that j of tbe United States if the criterion of ' fighting value is tonnage plus ago. Ap- ( pa-rently at the end of ten years’ holiday the United States will be entitled to lay down five capital shipn, each of thirty-five thousand tons, while Britain would have to hold her hands for a few years longer. It is inconceivable that Japan will hold out armaments absorbing fifty-two per cent of her ; revenue. She has everything to gain j by agreement with the United States and Britain. But what of Germany? At present she js permitted to possess six battleships of thirteen thousand tons. It ought not to be beyond tbe powers of tbe Washington Conference bo devise precautions against Germany which would safeguard the future. The American proposals do not affect light cruisers, but provision iB made that eventually Britain and America, will have a similar strength of cruisers and destroyers. This presumes that America, with one hundred million people, has the same naval needs as Britain with 440,000,000. Moreover, if sea communication is interrupted, Britain would be faced with, starvation, but

perhaps the American plan does not rule out the dominions providing cruisers over thoso of Britain. If this is correct, it offers a hopeful promise of agreement.” IN THE FAR EAST, ABROGATION OF JAFANESE TREATY. W A SHIN GTON, Nov©mb e r 14. General public comment to-day emphasises the United States view that the Anglo-Japanese Treaty must be scrapped. It is expected that Canadian opinion will support this. On© forecast of .Mr Hughes’s .Far Eastern plan says that the following principles will be enunciated : (1) All alliances t 6 be abrogated. (2) All the Powers shall abandon spheres of influence, the principle ot the open door policy to be absolutely accepted. (3) An international tribunal to be constituted, at which all pending questions shall be equitably adjusted. United States insistence of the open door in the Far East will have a reaction decidedly affecting Australis. Presumably it would apply to mandate inlands. Japan might, accept provided all such islands are treated alike, involving an amendment to the Versailles Treaty and the abrogation of exclusion laws under the Australian and New Zealand mandates. Ihe feeling is growing in some quar*?rs Mr Hughes intends to lay Mie L mted States plan for settlement of Far Eastern problems before the conference to-morrow, immediately thereafter constituting threo committees to deal with Disarmament and the I’ar Eastern and Pacific questions, the two latter being interlocking, delegates being invited to serve on one or other according as matters affecting the special .interests of their countries are reviewed. LONDON, November 14. (t The Washington, correspondent of the Daily News ” asks:—“Can guarantees of faithful execution of agreements reached by tho Conference be exacted? In .any case, arguments regarding details cannot obecure the dominant fact that America lias flung before the w r orld an arresting proposal involving voluntary acceptance of second naval place for tho next decade, that Britain and Japan are accepting the challenge, and that no other State that may be called on lor similar action could resist the moral pressure which the example of th© three naval Powers will enable the world to apply. This is true, ev.en though the -obligations accepted by America. Britain and Japan are morally rather than legally binding. That consideration is relevant, because it is doubtful whether Congress to-day could constitutionally bind its successor for a decade, hen6e the appointment of a committee to deni with Far Eastern problems means that tho problem of the creation of political stability, particularly respecting China, which is more vital than disarmament, will be faced iu earnest. Bo far the baffiingly difficult relation of the Anglo-Japanese alliance to tho whole question does not simplify matters. Fortunately it is fully realised, especially in British circles, that without n Far Eastern settlement, armament reduction would become a mere matter of economic rdlief. The conclusion of a satisfactory Far Eastern agreement would alone create faith in the loyal execution of any armaments pact.” WASHINGTON. November 14. Mr Balfour’s speech, to-morrow will be couched iu general terms, not using statistics, but merely indicating the general principles desired . and British modifications. Opinion seems to be growing that Japan will follow tho British lead in acceptance of principles, bub is expected to press for readjustment of the ratio towards strengthening her naval position. It is understood that members of the British delegation are not unanimous on .the question of replacement being spread over ten years. At least two members are likely to urge a complete naval holiday for that period. REPARATIONS AND WOOL, WASHINGTON, November 14. When other questions come to b© considered it is understood that Italy and Belgium both intend to bring up th© question of Government control of raw materials. The former has special reference to B.A.W.R.A. wool, which has affected them adversely. Feeling is growing that tbe problem of German reparations must be considered when economic questions are reached. Representative Germans are already arriving at Washington. DOMINION’S SAYINGS. (Froth Otrm Corkiisvokdkny.j WELLINGTON, November Xo. With visions of New Zealand’s defence vote of £BOO,OOO almost disappearing as a result of a successful Dis~* armament Conference, Mr Burnett asked the Prime Minister to-day if it was possible under such circumstances to save this amount. Mr Massey replied that the vote included both naval mid land defeoce. There was no question that if the proposals put forward were agreed to they would undoubtedly lower the rate of defence expenditure for every part of the Empire- but by how much it was impossible to say. He hoped the Disarmament Conference would have a satisfactory result, and as soon as he knew the position he yvould make a statement to tb^