NAVAL ESTIMATES HEAVILY REDUCED.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19013, 7 March 1930, Page 9

NAVAL ESTIMATES HEAVILY REDUCED.

BRITISH GOVERNMENT CURTAILS PROGRAMME. (United Press Assn.—B y Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received March 7. 1 p.m.) LONDON. March 6. The naval estimates total £51,739,000, showing a reduction of £4.126.000 on last year's memorandum of the First Lord of the Admiralty. This is due to reductions which the Government has felt justified in making, two ten-thou-sand tonners, two submarines, and one depot ship having been cancelled from the 1928 programme and twelve vessels cancelled from the 1929 programme, comprising two ten-thousand-tonners, four destroyers, three submarines, two sloops, and one net layer. A decision as to whether the three remaining submarines on the 1929 programme would be built has been deferred, pending the results of the Naval Conference. Moreover, the Government is not formulating proposals for future shipbuilding until after the conference. Proposals have been forwarded for reducing the personnel to 97,050 officers and men by April 1, and it is expected there will be a further reduction to 94,000 by April 1 of next year. (Received March 7, 1.50 p.m.) RUGBY, March 6. The naval estimates, published today, show a considerable reduction. In a statement accompanying the estimates Mr A. V. Alexander says the substantial decrease in the total estimates is due mainly to the reduction which the Government has felt justified in making in the shipbuilding programmes of 1928 and 1929. As to future shipbuilding, the Government has decided not to formulate any proposals until the results of the Naval Conference are known. As soon as the Government is in a position to inform Parliament of their intentions a statement will be made and, if necessary, a supplementary estimate will be presented. Mr Alexander points out that the reductions have only been rendered possible by operating on every branch of the service with the object of curtailing expenditure. Of causes operating in the contrary sense he mentions the Singapore Base main engineering contract. Although no new commitments are being entered into pending the result of the Naval Conference, it has been found that it would not be economical to retard the work contracted for and, in accordance with the terms of the contract, considerably larger payments will have to be made in 1930 than in the current year.

SIZE OF SUBMARINE IS NOW DISCUSSED

WHAT MAXIMUM IS TO BE DECIDED ON? (United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Received March 7, 1 p.m.) LONDON, March 6. The Naval Conference Experts’ Committee continued its discussion of the submarine problem. Britain and America are willing to accept as a basis of discussion the maximum tonnage suggested at Geneva, namely 1800 tons. Italy agreed to this, but Japan demanded 2000 tons. France would accept any figure agreeable to the other Powers if she were permitted to retain a certain number of submarines up to 3000 tons. Britain and America would compromise on 2000 tons provided there was only one class of submarine, none of which would exceed that figure. Italy also urged that there should be but a .single class. It is pointed out that the French proposal favouring 3000-tonners would create a new category, which could be numbered individually like, cruisers, thereby providing a super-submarine apart from the smaller ones which are included in the global tonnage.