Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-05
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

Ambassador Hugh Gibson said. The
opens to US an unprecedented oppor-
tunity for advancing the cause Of dis
armament"
A few days later our Ambassador, MI:
Gibson. enunciated q newer basis OF
measuring naval power for comparison
of nations. It was in substance an &C.
ceptance Of Q basis proposed BY France,
whereby warships would be rated &C.
cording to several factors affecting their
combat strength, age. gun canoef. ton-
mage, speed, etc, and not merely the
This proposal was Immediately &C
cented with cordially by sthe British
and japanese. It had already been APP
proved by the French. But the multi
plied bases of thus rating ship ADDS
to the actual complications Of compari.
son and opens the way to disputes OF
peace" becomes q still greater factor in
adjusting such differences when blind
mathematics Of tonnage ceases to be the
only consideration.
Admiral Hillary A. Jones OF the United
States Navy states the situation from
the American standpoint, Is follows:
1--WE keep in mind always the defense
of our country and its enormous com.
mercial interests, spread over all the
seven seas. There is o minimum below
which we cannot afford to 90. because
our geographical position imposes upon
US the necessity Of carrying on opera
lions in far-distant waters"
It is pointed out that whereas Great
Britain bases her claim for O large navy
upon her needs of defense Of her terri
tory all over the world, from the Eng.
lish Island to India, Australia and
Africa, so the United States must de-
Ocean, as well as upon the American
continent and the Caribbean Sea and
the Panama Canal. Great Britain must
defend the Suez Canal and Strait OF
Gibraltar; we must defend the Panama
Canal and o continental coastline
greater than that Of the British COM
monwealth, barring most Of the unde-
veloped regions Of Canada and Aus.
tralia. Our wealth-the bait and
greater than that Of Great Britain or
any other nation; It's defense calls for
proportionate strength and vigilance.
\ r i y
Japan agreed In 1921 to the naval
ratio of Great Britain and the United
States-each s, with japan 8. Today
Japan wants . slight increase for her
own proportion, and proposes Q ratio
Of 10-l0-7 in place Of 10-10-6. While
the increase would not be great, its
demand indicates the growing insist
ence Of Japan In claimed prestige
among the powers. France contends
terranean to keep open the route be-
tween Marseille and Algiers., to insure
mobilization and transportation Of her
African army. italy protests that 1t
has an extremely long coast to defend
and must keep open seas to the supplies
of the world.
Great hopes are hung upon the "will
to peace" manifested by the present
conference between Prime Minister
Macdonald and President Hoover. In
the Macdonald campaign for election
one of the principal planks OF his plat
form was naval reduction. In his hrst
address after election he emphasized
his promise to aid disarmament. and
the next day he announced the begin.
ming Of negotiations through Arnbassa-
to take big risks for peace" He took
the initiative in the League Of Nations
to make the League covenant consis-
tent with the newly adopted Kellogg
pact. The League agreement had
pledged all member nations to unite
against any aggressor nation starting
war against another nation; 1t legalized
war. The Kellogg pact outlaws wars
Of all kinds except In self-defense.
y
At the 1921 disarmament conference
in Washington 1t was agreed to hold
another in 1891 to discuss any changes
Of world conditions in the decade. It
Is now agreed by the i've principal
power to advance that conference one
year and hold 1t next January, 1880.
At the Geneva conference the British
stood for 70 cruisers, but since then they
have reduced their demand to SO crlis-
ers and definitely conceded o parity for
the American Navy. Prime Minister
Macdonald has used this language Is
expressing the British view today:
"Great Britain says to America that
she IL not going to build against her,
aud that anything America did by ex-
panding her feet would find no re.
Spouse in the British program. But IL
American building was to stimulate
other countries to build. then indirectly
Great Britain must take an interest IA
American building"
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