NAVAL PARITY

Hokitika Guardian, 18 September 1929, Page 5

NAVAL PARITY

AMERICAN VIEWS. • ON CRUISER QUESTION. fUnited Prose Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright). WASHINGTON; Sept, hi Washington officials have declined to comment upon the London Statement embodying the BritisH*'viewpoint of the Anglo-American naval negotiations, pending the visit of the Prime Minister, Mr MacDonald. To many, however, who are following the negotiations, some portions t of the statement have caused surprise, as they appear somewhat at variance with the information here. For instance, there is the statement that the United States proposal is for fifteen sixinch gun cruisers additional to twen-ty-one eight-inch gun cruisers. It is stated that the . United States has ten six-inch gun cruisers in commission. There is no public suggestion that it has voluntarily proposed to construct any more of that class as it is contended that this type is not * suited .to American needs.

The. statement that the ■ United States has asked for 315,000 cons of. cruisers is also a surprise, us the general understanding here is that the., American Government has proposed .but 285,000 tons of cruisers*. A suggestion that there might be an objection by some Powers to holding the. conference in London has resulted\in unofficial discussions here. Brussels, The Haguq, Prague,, nr any Swiss City other than Geneva have been, suggested.

LONDON PRESS COMMENT. '' LONDON, Sept. 17. - Most of the papers stress that the Anglo-American Naval .Agreement will not be effective in itself, but will he only a preliminary to the Five-Power Conference, whose agreement, in return, must be submitted to parliament, which still has , the power to aav “Yea” or. “Nay.”' : The “Morning Post”; says : M'e are coming.to an era resembling.llie refinements in duelling.] That is so. say, we do not agree not to, fight.AVhat we agree about is length 'of the rapiefs'fiind the calibre of , pistols; so that' if we go to war,, we start .with a. parity' of armaments. The i nflective mind will see that equality of arms' has not prevented, or decided, duels, and so they will nor" prevent or ; decide war. What', remains' a* a fundamental truth is that the danger ; txf war is not removed by measuring the weapons, but only by ’ a conciliatory spirit—by plucking out from “the heart' of man those’ 1 envies', hatreds/desires, needs, and ambitions which lie'at the; root ! of -the 1 trouble. Tlld'Daily ; Chronicle says: Though the’ agfeement is not definite; ; wo may -regard a disagreement' as practically precluded. • 'V. J -y The Daily News has no doubt that -the oustauding differences, can be settled before the Five Power Confpr-. ence. V-

• The Daily Telegraph says :/The British Goverrimeut cannot concede to America what she would otherwise be willing to yield, because, the Five Power . Conference may make c'eci'sjons the effect of which would be to leave us dangerously weak .in relation to other Powers.