Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 45 Years.] FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1920. PACIFIC NAVAL ARMAMENTS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 46, Issue 14099, 16 April 1920, Page 4

Wairarapa Daily Times [Established 45 Years.] FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 1920. PACIFIC NAVAL ARMAMENTS.

In the eable messages recently were two important items of' news. One was from Washington, announcing a propos>fell heavy addition to the United States Navy, to enable it to Navy by 1921; the otufcr AVhs r from ‘Ottawa, reporting the decision i>f the Canadian Government to'reject Lord .Jellicoe’s naval scheme, to close down existing naval bases, to decline the present of modern small cruisers and tor-pedo-boat destroyers offered by the British Admiraty —in short, to abandon all pretences to naval defence whatever. We have drawn attention several times recently to the ambitious naval armaments being planned in America—an astounding policy for the nation whicJT launched the League of Nations on the world and held up the conclusion of peace for many months in order that the League Covenant might be incorporated in the Treaty. This policy of America is still unfathomable. The Canadian decision can only ’mean that Canada has said to herself that if the British Navy cannot defend her the United States will, and therefore there is no need whatever to worry about aggression trom hostile sea power. At the same time news is reaching this country of extraordinary armament preparations by Japan. Tiiis is the opening of a supposed era of peace; yet.the Japanese military budget, translating yen into pounds sterling, is about £3(5,500.000 for 1920, as against £24,300,000 for 1919, and £lO,000,000 for 19IS. Tin; increase over last year is owing, the Japanese Cabinet explained, to the requirement of over £3,000,000 for new works and £B,500,000 to balance increased cost of living. Important appropriations are well over a million,, each for improvement oi munitions and weapons, ‘ ‘ the completion of fortresses, 7 ' and aviation corps. The first of these items is to be a continuing annual charge for eleven years, involving during that period £40,000,000. The second item wants a lot of explanation, and none is officially vouchsafed; for “completion of fortresses ’ ’ is to go on for 20 years, involving in all £110,000,000 for munitions -and "fotm'sses 'will urobahy be io;it to foreign 'sight: as future arma-

ment budgets appear. The Japanese naval budget is similarly appalling. The amount set down for 1920 is £30,000,000 —five millions more than last year; and a total of. £100,000,000 is. to'be laid out over ‘‘a period of years,” to bring the navy up to. the “eight-eight standard” (eight 'modern battleships and eight modern .battle cruisers as tho [ line armament). There may be 'tcriiporary -political disturbances in .Japan, but tiie proletariat does not have much authority in these higher matters of state, and Japan’s financial credit is good, for the war has increased her national debt by only about £30,000,000. The conviction of British press correspondents in Tokio is that the American attitude is a leading cause of these vast Japanese armament preparations. The ambitions of Jbese two great Pacific Powers must : heap despondency on the statesmen of all the older Powers of the world who have for nearly two years been working'for recognised arbitration of international causes and tho abandonment of military anil naval rivalry. The Japanese programme is identical in scheme with the late Geiman /.aval law which for nearly a generation molested the peace of Europe.