NAVAL EXPANSION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 April 1938, Page 7

NAVAL EXPANSION

BRITISH & AMERICAN DECISIONS BARE POSSIBILITY OF HALTING RACE THE ATTITUDE OF JAPAN (British Official Wireless) RUGBY, April 2. Commenting on the British and United States notification of intention three months hence to abrogate the 35,000-ton and 16-inch gun limits for battleships, provided for under the London Naval Treaty, 1936, “The Times” says: “There is a bare possibility that developments in the three months’ breathing space provided by the treaty may make unnecessary the action now suggested. “No power presumably desires to restart competition in the size of ships and their armament, which was stayed at Washington in 1922. Even Japan herself, with whom responsibility for the resumption of the race must be, has repeatedly disclaimed any such desire, and she is likely to suffer from it more than any other Power. It is only the conviction that national security will be prejudiced by any failure to follow the suit of others that drives Governments to incur the enormous costs involved in the abandonment of limits.

“Failing the negotiation between the treaty Powers during the next three months of some new limitation, or failing definite assurance that no cause for escalation exists, the United States will proceed to the construction of battleships subject to no limits. “Other treaty Powers will hereupon acquire the right to do the same, but it does not follow that they will exercise it.

“As far as Britain is concerned the fact that the United States is building 40,000 to 45,000-ton battleships provides no sort of reason for following suit. To public opinion in England the possibility of war with America ceased long ago to be even conceivable.