FRANCE SETS OUT HER NAVAL NEEDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18938, 7 December 1929, Page 1

FRANCE SETS OUT HER NAVAL NEEDS.

DECLARES THEM TO BE THREEFOLD THOSE OF ITALY. (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received December 7, 9.40 am.) LONDON, December 6. M. Bri'and’s naval memorandum, which has been handed to the Italian Ambassador, amounts to a reply to Italy's claim for naval parity with France. M. Briand indicated that parity could not be taken as a basis for Franco-Italian negotiations, which must be based on the defensive needs of the two .countries. The French viewpoint is that the needs of the two countries are so dissimilar that parity would place France at a serious disadvantage, because she is obliged to protect world-wide interests, whereas the task of the Italian Navy is virtually limited to the Mediterranean. France declines to take AngloAmerican parity as an analogy because the existing difference in favour of France, compared with Italy, is 50 per cent all round. If it were possible, France would accept parity in the Mediterranean, with a margin for the defence of her coasts elsewhere, and also protection of her colonies and communications, but obviously Italy would object to France maintaining this reserve tonnage. France therefore proposes to omit parity from the discussion in the early stages and proceed with a full and frank examination of her practical necessities. The French Ministry of Marine has already estimated the French requirements and laid down the figures at which she is aiming. These involve a considerable increase in the present strength of the French Navy. The question of whether it will be agreed that France should eventually be allowed to build to the same figures depends largely on the London Conference, but it can be taken as certain that she will insist on Italy justifying her programme on the basis of defensive necessities. The French Ministry has prepared a so-called “Table of the Co-efficients of Defence” for the five Powers under various headings. Taking Italy as 10 in all cases, the tables are as follows: AREA OF TERRITORY. British Empire 158 United States 40 Japan 3 Fi ance 47 COASTLINES. British Empire 95 United States 46 Japan 30 France 23 LENGTH OF COMMUNICATIONS. British Empire 112 United States 32 Japan 10 France 66 The Ministry has also calculated similar figures based on commerce, as follows: EXTERNAL TRADE. British Empire 106 United States 53 Japan 13 F ranee 27 SEABORNE TRAFFIC. British Empire ITS United States 76 Japan 23 France 36 If all the figures are taken together, the result is that the British Empire needs amount to 100, the United States to 42, France to 30, Japan to 16, and Italy 10. Thus France estimates that her naval necessities are far ahead of Japan’s and not greatly below America’s, though far below the Empire’s and threefold those of Italy. “The calculations do not take into account political realities, but show why, on technical grounds, France is unlikely to admit Italy’s claim for parity with France,” concludes the memorandum.