NEEDS OF NAVIES

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 138, 7 December 1929, Page 9

NEEDS OF NAVIES

THE POWERS COMPARED

FRANCE'S ESTIMATE

BRITISH EMPIRE ON TOP

Catted.. '.press Association—By Electric Telr

Erapb—Copj-rltbt. "Times" Cable?.

(Beceived 7th. December, 1 p.m.)

LONDON, 6th December.

M. Briand'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 FrancoItalian 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 Trance at a serious disadvantage, because she was obliged to protect worldwide interests, whereas the task of the Italian Navy was virtually limited to the Mediterranean. Prance declines to take the Anglo-American parity as an analogy, because the existing difference in favour of France as compared with Italy is 50 per cent, all round. It is were possible', Prance would accept parity in the-. Mediterranean with a margin for the defence of her coasts elsewhere; also for the protection of her colonies and communications, but obviously Italy would object to Prance maintaining this reserve of tonnage. Prance, therefore, proposes to leave parity out of the discussion in its early stages, and proceed to a full and frank examination of practical necessities. The French Ministry of Marino has already estimated French requirements and laid down figures at which she is aiming. These involve a considerable increase in the present strength of the Irerich Navy. The question whether France will agree eventually to allow building to the same figures depends largely on the London Conference, but it can bo 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 Co-effici-ents of Defence" for the Five Powers under various headings. Taking Italy as 10 in all cases, the tables are as follow:— Area of Territory. British Empire 158 United States 40 Japan 3 France 47 :•• Coast Lines. British Empire 95 . United States 40 Japan 30 France 23 Length of Communications. British Empire 112 •United States .......... 32. Japan 10 France '. (jg The Ministry has also calculated similar figures based on commerce:— External Trade. British Empire ..... 100 United States 53 , ■ Japan ..'..... 13 Franco .....':.......... 27 Seaborne-Traffic British Empire 17S United States 70 . Japan 23 France .'.; \.]\ 3 6 If all the figures, aro taken together tho result is that the needs of the British Empire amount to 100, the United States, 42; France, 30; Japan, 16; Italy, Thus, France estimates her naval necessities far ahead of Japan's. and not greatly below America's, though far below the British Empire's, and three times Italy's. "The calculations," says the memorandum," "do not take into account political realities, but show why, on technical grounds, France is unlikely to admit Italy?s claims to parity with France.