Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-27
BRITISH RETURNING
FORF|NAL SESSION
Of GENEVA FARLEY
Work Will Be Finished One
Way or Another This Time,
Asserts Bridgeman.
CECIL HOPEFUL, BUT SAYS
SITUATION is CRITICAL
Chamberlain, Addressing Commons,
Denies Desire to Destroy Equality
of Sea Power.


LONDON, July CIV. c. Bridge
man. first lord of the British ad
miralty, and Niscount Cecil left for
Geneva this morning to participate IN
resumption of the naval conference
there. They had been in London
week, having come from Geneva 10
place before the cabinet report on
the status Of the naval parleys and
to receive further instructions for
their continuance
Before entraining Mr.. Bridgeman
said:
We shall finish our work this
time, one way or the other. We are
going back after long discussions with
the cabinet, and / think the position
ia clear. The government thoroughly
discussed the whole situation, and the
position of Great Britain remains
fundamentally unchanged. T can only
say I have just as good hope for
settlement as when we came back.
Lord Cecil "HopefuI."
Lord Cecil remarked: II am always
hopeful, but 1 regard the position as
Enthusiastically critical"
The delegates are due in Geneva
Thursday morning.
Divergencies of opinion respecting
British cruiser claims. either between
two sections of the cabinet or between
the cabinet and the admiralty, are
said in political quarters to nave de-
layed the return to Geneva of the two
chief British delegates.
According to gossip, the dlvergen-
cies. if they exist-and there Is no
confirmation of the report-apparently
are due to keen desire on the part
of the cabinet, or at least part Oh
it, to save the conference by some
compromise which might meet Amer
lean objections to the British case
while on the other hand the admiralty
officials are immovable from their
alarm for the safety of British trade
routes. 1t is said that the radio has
been busy carrying messages on the
subject between the cabinet ana
Premier Baldwin, aboard the steamer
Empress OF Australia bound Tor
Canada.
Sir Austen Chamberlain, the foreign
secretary, in statement in Commons
regarding the naval conference at
Geneva today, said that in the opin-
ion of the government there need be
no difficulty in arriving at a temporary
arrangement regarding the immediate
future of cruiser building.
Precedent Is Opposed.
Sir Austen added, however. that the
British Empire could not be asked
to give any such temporary arrange
ment the appearance Of an immutable
principle which might be treated as a
precedent.
.'The invitation of the President of
the United States to take part in the |
disarmament conference was under !
stood by his majesty's government to
be based on the desire to develop the |
policy of the Washington conference |
by diminishing yet further labor and |
expenditure, while maintaining ma |
tional security.
with this two.fold aim his males |
TVS government is in complete agree
ment, and they desire to measure the
merits of every proposal by the de-
gree to which it furthers this two
fold purpose.
1T is with this principle that they
propose to diminish the size and ar
mament of battleships. but leaving I'M
altered the numbers fixed at Washing
ton.
Reason for Suggestion.
at Is for this reason also that they
suggest limitation in the number and
armament of large fighting cruisers on
principles similar to those adopted at
Washington for battleships. This pro-
posal, like the first, would greatly di.
minish national expenditures without
endangering national security
1.-The questions connected with small
er cruisers are OF more complicated
character. The strength OF the fleets
can be stated in figures and prepared
with precision. Their primary func.
ton is to fight other fleets, and, speak
ing broadly. they can easily be COM
pared with each other. No such SINH
lar way Of looking at the subject is
possibls in the case of small cruisers
employed for police purposes in time
Of neace and necessary for the protec-
fion of lines of communication in time
of war. Geographical consideration
cannot be nationally ignored.
1T is to be noted that the sea routes
on which Great Britain depends for
existence lie largely in narrow waters
bordcred by other states"
Denies Effort to Dictate.
''This is not the case with the United
States, whose most important lines of
communication lie either on land with
in her own frontiers. by sea along her
own coasts, or in great oceans"
Sir Austin asserted that Britain was
Tar from Claiming the Ic3St flRnt TO
dictate any smaller cruiser policy to
other powers. but argued that any.
thing resembling the permanent for
mula adopted at Washington for bat
tleships was quite inapplicable for YES.
kels designed for purposes which vary
with geographical and economic posi-.
ton Of the powers concerned.
ut becomes more inapplicabIe when
the strength is estimated in terms of
gross tonnage without reference TO
numbers or armament" he said.
The foreign minister said that q
country which for any reason was
obliged to distribute it's available ton
mage among smaller units would prob
ably be considered by naval experts
TO be at a permanent DISADVANTAGE
compared with one able to adopt a
different scheme.
There would be nominal parity"
he asserted, "but real inequality"
Friendship for L. s. Stressed.
In some quarters the question is
being asked: why worry about pari-
ty or otherwise, between the British
and United States navies?"
The Daily Express says:
1.-The British people would not care
q button If America built fleet five
times as strong as the British, for
they regard an Anglo-American war
as impossible and unthinkable."
The Daily News says:
cas- war between Great Britain and
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