SAVED BY THREE-POWER PACT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 946, 12 April 1930, Page 9

SAVED BY THREE-POWER PACT

£70,000,000

Gesture for Disarmament BRITAIN PLEASED WITH CONFERENCE IT is estimated by Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the a Admiralty, that the monetary saving effected before 1936 by the Three-Power Naval Treaty resulting from the London conference is between £60.000,000 and £70,000.000. Besides this phase, Mr. Alexander says the agreement is a significant gesture for peace and a step toward general disarmament.

British Official Wireless Reed. 11.25 a.m. RUGBY, Friday. Mr. A. V. Alexander, First Lord of the Admiralty, reviewed in a speech at Sheffield the results of the Naval Conference. While regretting that a complete Five-Power agreement had not been achieved, he said it was gratifying that a definite advance had been made. Taking cruisers, destroyers and submarines together, the total figure for the British Empire and the United States proposed in 1927 was 590,000 tons each, plus 25 per cent, average, which gave a total of 727,500 tons. This total was to remain in force until 193 G. The agreement now reached with the United States for these categories of auxiliary ships was to be a total of 541,700 tons by 193 G, showing a reduction o nthe Geneva proposals of 195,800 tons.

The United States figure now was 526,200, as compared with 737,500 tons proposed at Geneva, showing a reduction of 211,300 tons. A small extra reduction in the total tonnage in the

case of the United States being a recognition of the larger number of heavy eight-inch cruisers which the United States may build. The Japanese figure proposed at Geneva was 481,250 tons and four auxiliary ships, while the provisional figure agreed at this conference was 367,050, showing a saving of 114,200 tons in auxiliary tonnage. Therefore the reductions of the three Powers combined, compared with the proposals on which the conference broke down in 1927 was no less than 521,300 tons, which constituted a very significant indication of the progress of public opinion in the direction of disarmament. CAPITAL SHIPS AFFECTED Moreover the Powers had mutually agreed to waive, pending a further conference in 1935, their rights under the Washington Treaty to build any of the capital ships provided in that treaty to be laid down from 1931 onward. It had also been agreed by the three Powers to reduce the numbers of their capital ships to the minimum figures provided for in the Washington Treaty with the least possible delay instead of waiting until 1936. This meant the early scrapping of five British battleships, three American and one Japanese. Another great achievement, continued Mr. Alexander, had been the rectification in this agreement of the

, world tendency to build the largest size cruiser permitted under the Washington Treaty. When the Government entered office last year the American authorised programme in Sin 10,000-ton ships was not less than 23. In the ease of Britain there were 17 S-inch ships built and building, and one further ship authorised in the total programme which, if carried to its completion, would have been not less than 20, and as Japan might quite naturally have been expected to build pro rata, even these figures might not have been the maximum today. It had been definitely agreed among the three Powers that the maximum number of ships of this class should be IS, 15 and 12 respectively. Mr. Alexander thought the greatest value of the agreement already secured was to be found in the helpful moral effect created in support of the general move to disarmament and peace. There were also valuable economic advantages for the period of the agreement. The most important thing for this country was the avoidance of the expenditure which would have had to be incurred in laying down new replacement battleships under the Washington Treaty. This would involve an expenditure of at least £50,000,000 up to 1936. In addition we should make a saving of over £4,000,000 in maintenance charges in respect of five battleships which are to be prematurely scrapped. In the case of cruisers it was not possible to give the figure, hut he might indicate the general position by saying that when the Government came into office last year they found 63 cruisers built, building and authorised. In connection with the programme which aimed at a general goal of 60 under-age cruisers and 10 over-age, or 70 in all. CRUISER MAXIMUM

Under the present agreement the maximum number of cruisers would be 50 during the whole of the period of the agreement up to 1936. The savings would certainly he many millions. In the case of destroyers we had at the present moment 190,000 tons built, building and authorised, while the agreement stipulated fox--150,000 tons. In the case of submarines the fixing of the maximum tonnage in the agreement with the United States at 52,700 tons would mean that compared with the programme which would othex-wise have had to be followed, we should have in construction up to 1936 about £3,400,000, and in maintenance about £450,000, or a total saving in this category of £3,850,000. ADJUSTMENT NECESSARY It was safe to estimate that up to 1936 the saving involved by a threePower treaty would be at least between £60,000,000 and £70,000,000. Mr. Alexander thought in such circumstances the conference must be described as a tremendous advance or the road to disarmament. He hoped a continuance of the conversations between France, Italy and Great Britain. would result in a happy agreement between the European naval Powers as had been consummated between the Oceanic naval Powers, which might be fitted in to the genera? scheme of the treaty. It should, of course, be recognised that each of the parties to the threePower agreement would have to be covered by the tex-ms of the treaty in such a way that they might adjust their position if construction programmes of other Powers outside the agreement should make that necessary. For example, Bx-itain's destroyer tonnage would be materially affected by an increase of submarine tonnage. v