The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-06-25
The Sparring Match at Geneva

United States, Great Britain and Japan are in
session at Geneva, the seat of the League of Ma
lions, with the avowed purpose of trying to arrive
at solution Of the race for naval supremacy which
is being feverishy contested by those three powers
under various subterfuges.
Looking with pair of cynical grins on their
sinister faces are France and Italy.
1t should be stated emphatcally at the outset that
no intelligent observer of current affairs will for
a moment be fooled into the delusion that the pow
in earnest about their professions of devo-
ton to the of world peace that the present
conference has any other aim than an attempt on
the part of each participating power to steal a
march the other.
The present conference was called on the inita-
tive of the United States government the same gov
eminent that made the peace gesture at the Wash
ington conference in 1921. Between the lines of the
pacific speeches made by the American delegates to
the Geneva conference can be read threat which
implies that unless the other powers accept the
American program, the United States will build a
navy second to none on the seas.
Since the Washington conference which estab-
lished the 553 ratio for the United States, England
and JAPAN naval aristocracy and the battle
ship and armament manufacturers have been yell
ing that the United States was fooled into scrappng
naval tonnage than Japan and England COM
bined and entered into other agreements which ham
strung the U. s. naval program and reduced the
standing of the navy to below that of Japan's.
This is the cry of the militariss and navalists of
all countries, but it to be obvious that Great
Britain since 1921 has been building cruisers at
feverish rate during the term of office of the
alleged pacifst James Ramsay Macdonald.
What happened at the Washington conference is,
that in return for scrapping the Ango-Japanese al
lance, the United States made certain concessions to
Great Britain which left the empire in possession
of naval supremacy for the time being. The re-
striction gun elevation not observed by Eng
land and this infraction was winked at by the
United States, knowing that there would be another
conference and another deal when the time was
more propitous. That time has arrived and the
United States has less to fear Japan today
than it had in 1921.
The world Importance of the United States has
increased tremendously since the war. The power of
Great. Britain has relatively decreased Japan is
holding precarious toehold in the Orient with
the long slumbering Chinese millions in political
volcanic eruption
The Washington conference placed a limit on the
building of battleshps and airplane carriers The
United States would now limit the tonnage of cruis-
ers and all other auxiliary ships
In brief the program of the United States is the
following: proposed tonnage limitation cruis-
Of 250000 to 900 tons for the United States
the tonnage for the British empire and 10000
TO 100000 for Japan.
In the submarine class the United States tonnage
would be from 10000 to 10000 tons, the same for
the British empire and from $4,000 to $4,000 tons
for Japan.
Against IhlS program the britlSn propose 10 re-
duce the maximum battleship tonnage from $4,000
to less than 100000; main battleship guns from 16
inch to 135-inch of aircraft carrier tonnage from
$1,000 to $4,000; of cruiser tonnage from 10000 to
$500 and of cruiser guns from 8-inch to 6-inch
The Japanese proposed "nava1 holiday and non
restriction of the building of vessels of small ton
mage and aircraft carriers under 10000 tons.
Thus the friends Of peace hagge for position
The aims of the British are clear. AS writer
ponts ont she aims at retaining her preDonderant
supremacy on the by discouraging the building
of war vessels by other nations with wide cruis-
ing radius. This is the explanation of her proposal
for reduction of cruiser tonnage from 10000 to
1900. Owing to the string of naval bases which
Britain has all the globe her ships do not need
the fuel capacity that is required by American naval
vessels whose bases fewer and farther apart.
Also the British suggestion that the calbre of guns
permissible on cruisers should be reduced from