Submarine Power

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 915, 7 March 1930, Page 9

Submarine Power

NATIONS AT VARIANCE Japan Wants Tonnage Increase COMPARISON OF VIEWPOINTS United P.A. — Bn Telegraph — Copi-.-tph! Received 11 a m LONDON. Thursday. THE experts’ committee of the Naval Conference continued the discussion of submarines, which elicited interestin'! viewpoints, Britain and America are willing to aeepet as a basis for discussion tbc maximum figure suggested at Geneva, namely, I.SOO tons. Italy agreed with the Anglo-American opinion, but Japan has demanded 2,000 tons. France, on the other hand, would accept the figure agreeable to other Powers if she is permitted to retain a certain number of submarines up to 3,000 tons register.

It has been ascertained also that . Britain and America would compro- j mise on 2,000 tons, provided that there j is only one class o£ submarines, none j of which exceeded the 2,000-ton figure. I Italy also urged the single class. It is pointed out that the French pro- » posal favouring some 3,000-ton submarines would create a new category in- ! dividually like cruisers, thereby pro- j viding super-submarines apart from j the smaller ones included in the ! global tonnage. INCREASE PREDICTED A British wireless message announces that the full work of the conference will be resumed tomorrow (Friday) morning, when the heads of all delegations will again meet, while the first committee in the afternoou will receive the report of the expert committee on special vessels. American newspapers today published a report from Mr. H. L. Stimson referring to the suggestion that the conference may lead to an increase rather than a reduction of :.he world’s navies. He says that a plan which, in its essent als, appears to be acceptable 10 both the American and British delegations, provides for a net reduction of tonnage. This reduction, he adds, is of course contingent on some reductions being made in the fleets of other Powers. TARDIEU DELAYED Mr. Arthur Henderson, Secretary for Foreign Affairs, had a conversation with M. Briand immediately on the latter’s return to London. He is the head of the French delegation in the absence of M. Tardieu, who is post-

polling liis arrival in London in order to visit the flooded areas in Southern .France. Tomorrow the lull work ot the conference will be resumed with a meeting in the morning of the delegation chiefs. The navy estimates published today show a considerable reduction and in a statement accompanying the estimates Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, says that the substantial decrease of the total estimates is due mainly to reductions which the Government has felt justified in making in the shipbuilding programmes of 192 S and 1929. As to future shipbuilding, the Government has decided not to formulate any proposals until the results of the Naval Conference are known and fully considered. FUTURE BUILDING As soon as the Government is ill a position to inform Parliament of its intentions a statement will be made on the subject and, if necessary, a supplementary estimate will be presented. Mr. Alexander points out that the reductions have only been rendered possible by operating on every branch of the service with the object of curtailing expenditure. Of the causes operating in a contrary sense he mentions the Singapore Base main engineering contract. Although no new commitments are being entered into pending the result of the Naval Conference, it has been found that it would not be economical to retard the work contracted for and, in accordance with the terms of the contract, considerably larger payments will have to be made in 1930 than in the current year.