BIG NAVAL PROGRAMME

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 227, 14 December 1927, Page 9

BIG NAVAL PROGRAMME

Scheme of United States CRUISERS AND BATTLESHIPS By Cable. —Press Association. — Copyright. T___ NEW YORK, Monday. HE Washington correspondent of the “New York Times’’ says that President Coolidge has approved a five-years’ naval programme, which, according to members of Congress who saw it to-day, provides for an ultimate expenditure in excess of over the period of five years.

TT exceeds the expenditure for the 1916 naval programme and approaches the latter in the number of ships authorised. The programme provides for 26 cruisers of the 10,000-ton type, to cost about £3,000,000 each, airplane carriers, live fleet submarines, 18 destroyer leaders to round out the fleet and four new battleships for replacements, as permiteed by the Washington Treaty, for 1923. These battleships will cost about £12,000,000, although they may greatly exceed that amount on account of the increased cost of construction. Mr. Coolidge. according to those who have conferred with him, desires the present Congress to commit the Government to this programme, which, he feels, merely represents America’s own needs for the rounding out of her navy, and which shuld not cause other nations to enter into naval “competition.’’ PARITY WITH OTHERS It is understood that Mr. C. D. Wilbur, Secretary for the Navy, has indicated that the Government desires an expenditure of only £40,000,000 during the next fiscal year, but that it also desires to authorise the entire programme. He expressed the belief that there would be no objection on the part of other nations which have signed the Washington Treaty, since the programme does not place the United States on a parity with other nations and does not exceed the 5-5-3 ratio in auxiliary ships. The General Board of the Navy recommended the programme four weeks ago and it has been before the President for his decision for a fortnight. Mr. Coolidge obtained much expert

advice from naval authorities and from the State Department.

REDUCTION POSSIBLE The chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee of the House, Mr. W. M. Butler, will probably introduce the measure in the House to-morrow. He is not in accord with all its provisions, being opposed to the authorisation of the battleships. It is understood that as a result of opinions expressed by prominent members of the House, the programme may he reduced by the elimination of the battleships. The Speaker of the House, Mr. N. Longworth, recently held several conferences with the President and found that the latter strongly favoured an enlarged naval programme, one that would bring the strength of the American Navy nearer that of Britain. ANOTHER CONFERENCE Mr. Coolidge is represented as believing that Britain and Japan will not renew the negotiations for a conference to limit naval armament and that even if there should be such a conference the proposed naval programme, it is contended, would not interfere with limitation as far as the United States was concerned. Mr. Wilbur told members of Congress today that the President had not entirely abandoned hopes for another conference.

Last winter Mr. Coolidge opposed attempts by Congress to obtain an additional cruiser programme, feeling that it would have a bad effect upon th negotiations about to begin at the Geneva Naval Conference, but now he holds that the proposed programme will not militate against another successful conference, should one be held. —A. and N.Z.