SITUATION SURVEYED

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 37, 13 February 1930, Page 9

SITUATION SURVEYED

GLOBAL-CATEGORY ISSUE SUBMARINE AND DREADNOUGHT LONDON, 12th February. With the submarine issue temporarily put in ths background the Naval Conference next tackles the tonnage puzzle, on which British quarters suggest a virtual bridging of the conflicting Trench, English, and American theses on. the subject. British spokesmen last evening allowed it to be known that there is just a possibility of another plenary session at the,end of the week to deal with the global category question, on which the committee of experts is reporting to-day. If held, it will be with the objeit of announcing a. substantial agreement upon the compromise between rival theses. On the other hand, the Japanese spokesman foreshadowed an early Japanese statement reiterating rigid adherence to 78,000 tons of submarines and a 70 per cßnt. ratio of cruisers with England and America. He naively remarked that the question of the submarine's radius of action would not enter into the question because Japan in

war time- was asked to convoy ships from Australia and also escorted troopships in the Mediterranean. All the rigidity may soften when the bargaining begins on categories. Perhaps, too, America's claim u> have a monster battleship may be modified in the same way, especially since it is generally greeted, even among Americans, as very costly and :i tactless negation of the very spirit of disarmament. Tho suggestion has not alarmed British Government circles, where it seemingly was received with an air of quiet resignation, but hints that the Admiralty can muster strong arguments against the futility of beginning the big ship competition anew.