Evening star., 1921-11-17
WEAK SPOT FOUND
| IN BALFOUR VIEWS
Government Owned Yards
May Be Needed if U. S.
Proposal Is Upheld.
BY LEROY T. VERNON.

British liberal opinion, both at
home and in Washington, has been
quick to sense the weak spot in the
suggestion of Arthur James Balfour
that the naval experts should examine
most carefully the question of naval
requirements Of capital ships as pro-
posed in the American disarmament
plan.
The American plan contemplates on
its face a complete naval holiday for
ten years. MIR Balfour's suggestion
implies that requirements should be
80 regulated that shipyard organiza-
tions. which build naval vessels.
should not be destroyed entirely. but
that a sufficient number of them to
accord with the American plan as a
whole should be maintained intact
One British representative today
put the issue: 1.-The American plan
contemplates putting naval construc-
ton into cold storage for ten years
in the hope that it will be frozen to
death a the end of that time" Broad
ly speaking, this spokesman laid his
finger on the permanent purpose OF
the American plan. provided events
whereas the Balfour plan of replace
ments deals exclusively with the ten
year or temporary agreement pro-
posal and might. in the end, defeat
the larger purpose unless carefully
Safeguarded.
GOvernment-OwRed Yards.
There is a strong possibility that
out of the Balfour suggestion may
= II -o1 c-nlc
in government-owned shipyards where
the fleets permitted under the Ameri
can disarmament plan must. in any
event. be repaired during the tem-year
period. The detailed American pro-
poSal already provides that no power
which is party to the disarmament
agreement shall be permitted to pur-
chase combatant vessels from any 9TH
er power, nor shall any power be per-
mitted to build combatant vessels for
any other power. This. in itself, is
blow at both governmental and. pri-
vate construction of combatant VeS-
sells and limits each power to the con-
struction of its own vessels within
the maximum provisions of the agree
ment.
The tendency of the suggestion is
clearly in the direction of government
owned or controlled Shipbuilding yards
and this is further emphasized by the
requirement that each power shall
inform every other power OF the de-
tails of the construction of its re-
placement tonnage. Cnofticially. the
suggestion has already been made that
naval attaches of the nations party
to the agreement should have the fur
ther right to inspect this construction
in good faith rather than as a re-
Election on bad faith.
The American replacement proposal.
to which Mr.. Balfour has called at
tention. was promised on the obvious
fact that such fleets as will continue
to exist under the ten-year holiday
plan must have navy yard bases for
Quitting and repair.
Two Bases In This Country.
In the case of the United States it
is clear that there must be at least
two such bases, one on the Atlantic
and one on the Pacific. capable of
practically reconstructing, and, there
fore. of constructing all classes of
combatant ships and auxiliaries. The
present plan of having a different
government base for different types
of ships might be continued. In any
event, adequate facilities must be
ma aintained to support the navy which
remains. and it is difficult to see
wherein Mr.. Balfour's main sugges-
tion is not already provided for by
the absolute necessities of the Ameri-
can Navy. which will so closely ap-
proximate the British navy in size
as to make the British auxiliary IA
cilities a matter of degree rather
than of principle.
1t would seem apparent that the
American plan, if carried out logical
ly. would eventually lead to the abso-
lutte governmental control of naval
construction and repair in govern
ment naval bases. The effect of this
step would be to centralize the in
terest in naval construction in the
governments themselves and to take
the question of the size of navies out
of politics and plsce it where it be-
longs-on the consciences of govern
ments.
If the American disarmament plan
has permanent purpose. it would be
far easier to scrap government-owned
navy yards ten years from now than
it would to scrap privately owned
yards, which have a noteworthy af-
tinity for politics whenever their in
tereSts are affected.
Copyright. 1921