14-inch Guns

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 1, 16 January 1937, Page 5

14-inch Guns

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ITALY WILL AGREE Naval Coneession First Fruit of Recent Accord ' LONDON GRATIFIED

(Bv Telesrauh

-Copyright.)

(Beceived 16, 10.25 a.m.) LONDON, Jan. 15. It is officially learned in London that Italy is prepared to agree not to mount gims exceeding 14 inches on capital ships providing other Fowers accept the limitation. This is regarded as one of the first fruits of the British-Italian accord, The information whieh has reached the British Government that the Italian Government is ready to give an assur.* ance that it will not mount guns above 14-inches calibre on capital ships pro-« vided that all the important naval Powers accept this limitation has caused particular satisfaetxon in Lom don, because it eneans that with the exception of Japan all the principal naval Powers, as well as a number of Powera with smaller navies, have now specifieally accepted the 14-inch gun, thua diminishing risks of an upward race in sizes of . ships and guns (comments a supplementary British Official Wireless message). The Japanese Government still haa the question under consideration. It is hoped that it will signify its intention to give a similar assurance. Article 4 of the Naval Treaty signed in^ London last year provides that no capital ship shall carry a gun with a calibre exceeding 14 inches unless any of the parties to the Washington Naval Treaty fails to enter into an agreement to conforrn to this provision by April 1 next. In the latter event the maximum calibre of guns for capital ships ia fixed at 16 inches.