"MYTHICAL SHIPS"

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 30 July 1929, Page 5

"MYTHICAL SHIPS"

BRITAIN'S NEW CRUISERS CONSTRUCTION NEVER INTENDED AN AMERICAN ALLEGATION «Jnit«4 Prou Awoolatlon—By Utotrlo Talafraph—Copyrigkt) (Australian Press Association) NEW YORK, 28th July. Mr Britten, chairman of (he House Niival Affairs Committee, prior to leaving for Europe, stated: "The two cruisers, the construction of which Mr MacDonald had ordered to be suspended, were merely mythical ships intended only by far-sighted British diplomacy for'trading purposes, and we have grabbed the bait." Ho insisted that President Hoover had no right to suspend cruiser construction under the present circumstances, and stated: "I am sure no one will say we are yet in agreement with Britain. On the contrary, we are very far from it." He maintained that England had no intention of. building the cruisers, the construction of which had been suspended. "As in the Washington Conference, we have been the goat, and British diplomacy is laughing up its sleeve," he concluded. u.s. cruiserTrogramme EXPERTS' BELIEF (Received 30th July, 11.50 a.m.) WASHINGTON, 29th July. The final outcome of the naval limitation discussions is expected by the United States experts to leave at least twothirds of the fifteen cruiser programme intact. As they see it, at least ten of the contemplated 10,000 ton vessels will be built under an arrangement reached in carrying out an agreement between the United States and Britain, on the principle of absolute equality in the righting strength of their navies, with all kinds of craft considered. ANGLO-AMERICAN NEGOTIATIONS (Britbh Official Wireless.) RUGBY, 29th July. A further conference was held at No. 10, Downing Street, to-day between the Prime Minister and the First Lord of the Admiralty on the one hand, and Mr Dawes and Mr Gibson on the other. It is understood that substantial progress was made towards a naval agreement.