THREE CRUISERS DIFFERENCE.

Shannon News, 4 October 1929, Page 1

THREE CRUISERS DIFFERENCE.

ALL THAT STANDS BETWEEN BRITAIN AND AMERICA.

HIGH HOPES FROM PRIME MINISTER’S VISIT.

(“Sun” Special). LONDON, Sept. 16. .

The-naval reduction conversations between Britain and the United States have now reached such a point that the ultimate success of the negotiations is confidently expected. Agreement has been reached on all but the questions of cruiser tonnage and cruiser armament. Actually three eight-inch gun cruisers now represent the margin cf difference between the two countries. The British Government reviews the negotiations in an important statement in which emphasis is laid on the visit of the Prime Minister (My MacDonald) to Washington, as a sign of outward goodwill]

The Powers will be invited to come to London to discuss the whole question of naval disarmament and may take further substantial steps in that direction, and then go to the League of Nations to deal with land and air disarmament.

The purpose of Mr MacDonald’s Washington visit is solely to provide an outward sign of the goodwill, which, it is confidently hoped, will, establsh Anglo-American relations on a firmer basis than has existed since 1812, savs the official statement.

The small margin of difference that still remains to be settled in the naval negotiations will not be discussed at this months historic meeting at White House. These differences will be taken up at the conference in London, to which the five naval Powers, signatories of the Washington Treaty of 1922, will be summoned, probably in January of next year. The scope of the conference will be much wider than has been generally supposed. It is uoav settled that the conference should be the adjourned' Washington Conference, 'which woukV not otherwise have met until .1931.' Both America and Britain fetd that the naval Powers would probably like to have under consideration the whole problem, including that of first class battleships, the limitation of which has been settled up to that date'. PEACE EXPERIMENT. As to the position between Britain and the- United States, the January conference will give an opportunity for reviving some parts of the agreement, which have' been.;the subject of conversations during recent months. It is emphasised.that,’in any case, the terms of such an agreement must be subject to the Five Powers. Conference being in concord, with it.

Britain at present hag 58 cruisers built ancl building, and, under the new proposals, they will be.scaled down to 50 by’ 1936. Each is taken as a standard year. * w In" 1935 the situation would be reviewed. The intervening years will give an opportunity for peace experiment. If, in 1935, it is found that such an experiment is unjustified, and that the hoped-for. increase of peace spirit lias not materialised, and that the figures of 1929 do not give necessary margin of safety, demands could be put forward for clauses in 193 G. 7 PARITY AND REDUCTION. If no change has, in the meantime. taken place, naval strength could cu continued on the 1929 basis. If, on the other hand, it was found that such a figure was much too big, another re duction could be made.

The decrease of naval rivalry between Britain and America has contributed substantially to the success oi the conversations which have recent 1% been '.n progress. Britain lias certain responsibilities to bear, and the Board f the Adm'i'filty Ins always been bound provide for certain possibilities .nich a? developed so rapidly in Bales iine.

To meet these responsibilities, a cer::iin fleet, standard had been worked at, and the present British Government ,-,-ould, in any event, have reviewed ,he whole position, to .see how far it had been constructed to meet, these responsibilities, and nothing c-lse. No objection Avas raised to America’s par'd v.

'in addition to parity, America wantad to reduce expenditure, and Britain also decided to reduce expenituve, but not below a point at which she could fulfil her responsibilities A point was therefore reached for discussing how America and Britain could satisfy their tw.o requirements —parity and reduction. In reviewing the situation, it. was at the outset agreed that any effort at disarmament must have a political foundation

EQUALITY IN DESTROYERS. They started therefore with the Kellogg anti-war pact as the basis of any agreement reached. A survey'showed that there were broadly three classes of warships to be considered. First, there were the first-class battleships limited by the Washington agreement of 1922; secondly, there were cruisers divided into eight-inch gun cruisers of roughly 10,000 tons, and six-inch gun cruisers, whose tonnage has recently become recognised at about 6500; thirdly, there were destroyers and submarines.

It became clear during the negotiations that a settlement regarding destroyers must depend very largely upo:

what the other Powers built, but it. , was agreed that as betAveen Britain and America in destroyers there should be equality. As to submarines it AVas found that America, like Britain, would Avclcomc their elimination.

The only difficulty, therefore, wan regarding cruisers ami that had been the point of difficulty throughout the conversations. The exploration of the problem was undertaken and tentative proposals were advanced by 'both sides.

NARROW MARGIN

The position now is that an.exceedingly narrow margin remains upon which agreement has not yet been reached. The margin is involved in two factors: First, the total cruiser tonnage; secondly, the use that can bo made of the margin of about 24,000 or 30,000 tons of vessels. In view of the narrowness of this margin it is regarded as incredible 4 he;o could be a break. Britain hd3 dated her final requirements at 50 cruisers, of which 1 15 carry eight-inch guns and 35 carry six-inch guns with a total tonnage of 339,000. The United States proposals arc for 21 cruisers carrying eight-inch guns and 15 carrying six-inch guns, with a total of 215,000 tons. Britain would like the American eight-inch gun cruisers to be reduced to 18, and her total tonnage to 300,000. The margin of difference, therefore, is three eight-inch gun cruisers, and the view held in authoritative British circles is that agreement on that point does not depend finally on the AngloAmerican negotiations. Mr MacDonald, on the conclusion of his six days ’ stay in Washington, will leave for New York on October 10, making a brief call on route at Philadelphia to renew acquaintance with the doctors and men who attended him during his illness, when he. was last in America,

According lo present, arrangements Mr MacDonald will leave .for New York on October 14 to visit Niagara Falls.