The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-01-30
WORLD NAVAL POWERS ACREE
TO FASHION NEW YARD STICK
70 Devise System Of Measur,
ing Navies by Combining
Opposing Systems
FAVOR WARsHIP UNI
France and Italy Want Right 10
Build So Many Tons Of
All Types
~ 5 =.


London, Jan. 30.-R1-The five
big world naval powers, BY their de-
cision today to take up the whole
question Of how to measure naval
power, have opened the way to the
formulation Of . brand new naval
yard stick"
0eneva,s disarmament experts
fashioned an older yard stick design
ed to fix the values for cruisers by
taking into consideration other mat
tiers than their tonnage. Today the
delegates Of the big five voted to de-
wise q yard stick much broader ana
more general in scope. They agreed
in principle to fashion q system Of
measuring navies which viii be .
combination Of two opposing sys-
TENS.
The United States. Great Britain
and Japan have held that the best
way to measure navies is to divide
them up definitely into warship types.
They held that the world should know
exactly just what total tonnage ma
tions will have in battleships, cruis-
: and submarines.
France and Italy have had an en-
tirely different conception. They
maintain that the best system Of
measure was simply to give each ma
ton the right to build 50 many hum
bred Thousands Of tons Of all types of
warships with the understanding
that the nations be left free to split
up this total-that Is 0lobal-tonnage
into those particular types Of war
ships which they deemed best suited
to their national defense needs.
But this conception met with strong
opposition from the United States,
Great Britain and Japan. These three
powers insisted that suspicion and
doubt would result from this uncer-
tainty as to whether cruisers, de-
stroyers or submarines were to be
built.
The French, In view Of this criti-
cism, framed q compromise. This
was that navies should be measured
by reckoning the total tonnage Of all
warships and by simultaneously divid-
ing up this total into the various
types Of warshipS. In other words, 80
many thousand tons Of cruisers, de-
stroyers and submarines could be
built. However, France attached an
important condition. It Is that the
nations would have the privilege Of
transferring q stated percentage Of
tonnage from one type Of warship Or
another. For instance, destroyer tom
mage could be shifted over to the
cruiser Category and vice versa.
France believes that the French needs
change with time and that elasticity
should prevail In the construction Of
warships.
The United States. by today's reso-
luton to take this compromise plan
under advisement by q special COM
mittee, was the first to accept the
compromise proposal for discussion.
always with the understanding that
notice shall be given q long time In
advance Of any intention to shift
Y
The five powers represented have
agreed to make this compromise. the
basis Of study. So much progress has
already been achieved In private con-
versations that nc insuperable diff
Guilty is expected in reaching q COM
mon agreement, an important feature
Of the agreement tended to provide
for complete publicity Is to all build
ing intentions. BY this the world Is
to know just what kind Of warships
are planned. =,