THE AMERICAN PLAN

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1076, 15 March 1911, Page 7

THE AMERICAN PLAN

AN ARBITRAL COURT. Tho American plan was communicated to the Powers in au identical Circular Note by Mr. Knox, then Secretary for State, in October, 1008.

Briefly (says the "Daily Mail") the proposal was for the investment of I lie International Prize Court with the functions of a Court of Arbitral Justice. As its name implies, litis Court would differ from the permanent Court of Artiitration at Tho Hague in the respect that it would have the character of an actual Court of Law, whose awards would be based not upon compromise or considerations of diplomacy, but upon recocni&ed

I principles of international law and equity. m'a speech lust June, .Mr. Knox emphaI sised (lie judicial as opposed to the diplomatic character of the proposed Court, which, he was confident, would be ultimately adopted by the nations. "Tho United .States," lie said, "took the advanced ground that tho judgment of all Arbitration Court must conform to the principles of international law and equity, and that where in ils opinion it is wholly clear and definite that a decision essentially fails so to conform, such decision should bo open (o an iiilernalionnl judicial revision." Jn other words, from any international arbitration award appeal should Ims to a supreme international justice.

"UNLIMITED" ARBITRATION. But such a Court requires both machinery and a clientele, As a first step in this direction the idea of an "unlimited" arbitration treaty with some Great Power has been put forward by Mr. Carnegie, and supported in a recent declaration by the President himself, who is engaged in consulting on the subject of such a treaty with Great Britain with members of the Senate Committee of Foreign Affairs. Hitherto the Senate has rejected—though by small majorities —treaties of "unlimited" arbitration with England, but if Mr. Taft finds that the Senate has changed its mind, overtures will be made to Great Britain on the subject. Such a treaty, it is believed, will serve as the beginning of a network of similar engagements between all the nations of the world.

TEN YEARS' CONSTRUCTION. BRITISH AND GERMAN EXPENDITURE. The naval expenditures of Great Britain and Germany upon new construction in the ten years from 1901 were interestingly compared by tho "Daily News" recently.

The period was divided into halves, a division which is convenient because the lino of demarcation is, roughly, the commissioning or completion of the Dreadnought. For the first five years, then,, the comparison of expenditure was:— Great Britain. Germany. Year. £ £ 1901-2 10,311,780 4,653,423 1902-3 9,752,217 4,662,769 19034 12,398,133 4,388,713 1901-5 13,184,419 4,275,489 1905-6 11,368,7-14 4,720,20b The corresponding figures for tonnage were :— Year. Great Britain. Germany. 1901-2 139,940 62,640 1902-3 89.4G5 30,119 1903-4 155,225 64,340 1904-5 ; 85,880 44,072 1905-6 116,570 45,729 Here we see that up to and including the fifth year of our decennial period Great Britain was building at more than double Germany's rate. The aggregate figures are:—

Expenditure. Tonnage. Great Britain ... 57,475,293 587,060 Germany 22,700,635 246,900 Up to this point Great Britain's superiority over Germany was overwhelming. The votes for new construction, including armament, were run up to over 13 millions a year. And the standard necessary to Great Britain's supreme position was manifestly exceeded.

The expenditure since the advent of the Dreadnought has been:— England Germany. 1906-7 10,486,397 5,167,313 1907-8 8,8.19,589 5,910,959 190S-9 ' 8,521,930 7,795.199 1909-10 (estimated) 11,227,191 10,177,052 1910-11 (estimated) 14,957,430 11,392,556 Tho tonnage has compared as under:— ' 1906-7 83,260 53,180 1907-8 119,937 33,985 ■ 1908-9' ■ 77,202 104,971 .. 1909-10 92,957 83,184 1910-11 .....: 220.572 •'■.■'-■