Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-14
ADAMS SAYS PACT
IS ADVANTAGEOUS
TOAMER|CAN NAVY
Secretary Declares Treaty
Based Solely on Combat
Strength of Nations.
JAPANESE AGREEMENT
CALLED EMINENTLY FAIR
Senator Hale Bombards Witness
With Many Technical
Questions.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

"As Secretary of the Navy I am clear
that the treaty is an advantage 10 tne
Navy of the United States" said sec
rotary Adams in his open statement 10
the naval affairs committee of the Sen
ate today on the London naval treaty.
Secretary Adams told the committee
that the treaty looked TO an orderly plan
for the DEVELOPMENT of the United
States Navy. He said that ne hao no
doubt that the treaty provided parity
with Great Britain in every category OF
naval vessels. In attempting to reacn
parity with Great Britain, the only
method adopted had been to compare
the actual naval combat strength OF the
United States and Britain.
"That was the only possible way OF
reaching an agreement" said secretary
Adams. He added that If an effort
had been made to take into considera-
ton the size Of the British merchant
marine as compared to ours, or the
number of naval bases of the British
1t would have been necessary to con-
slider also other national assets, includ-
ing the size OF the population OF each
country, the ability of each to produce
food and other necessities. Under such
circumstances, Secretary Adams said,
an agreement would never have been
reached
Praised Japan Pact.
Secretary Adams also praised the
agreement entered into finally between
the United States and Japan, which,
he said, he considered eminently fair.
Secretary Adams was bombarded with
questions by Senator Hale, chairman OF
the naval affairs committee, in regard
to many technical points involved IN
the treaty. The chairman of the naval
affairs committee seemed to see ad-
vantages yielded by the Americans to
the japanese and to the British in
number of instances. Secretary Adams
defended the treaty and called Comdr.
Harold C. Train, u. S. N, to give the
committee answers to some of these
technical questions.
Secretary Adams told the committee
that it would cost in round numbers
$1,000, ZOO, 900 to carry out the naval
program of the United States under
the T"ndon treaty.
this expenditure must not be set down
to new construction. Some, he said,
must go for maintenance and some for
replacement.
May Delay Building.
Secretary Adams indicated that pos
sibly it would not be the plan of the
Navy Department to go ahead with the
construction of all the six-inch gun
cruisers authorized for the United
States, admitting thereby that this
country might be satisfied, as far as
that class of vessel were concerned
to a paper parity with Great Britain.
The Secretary said that the general
board of the Navy had estimated that
this country needed 81 8-inch gun
cruisers for national defense and the
defense Of American commerce. He in
dictated that he did not entirely agree
with the general board.
II was brought out that the insist
ence of Japan and Great Britain had
reduced the number of 8-inch gun
IL to 10.
At the outset of the hearing, Senator
Hale read a prepared statement to the
committee and to Secretary Adams
setting forth the purpose and intent of
the foreign relations committee in hold
ing these hearings on the London naval
treaty although that treaty is not be-
fore the naval affairs committee, but is
in the hands of the committee on
foreign relations which today continued
its hearings with Secretary Stimson,
head of the American delegation to the
Naval Conference, again before it.
Attend Other Hearing.
Some of the members of the foreign
relations committee have looked with
measure of resentment upon the in
sistence of Senator Hale on holding
hearings simultaneously with the foreign
relations committee. The two mem
bers of the naval affairs committee who
are also members of the foreign rela--
lions committee. Senator Robinson OF
Arkansas, and Senator Swanson OF
Virginia, both today attended the hear
inps of the foreign relations committee.
In his statement of the purpose Of
the naval affairs committee in holding
the hearings, Senator Hale said:
1.-The purpose of these hearings which
we are about to hold is 60 bring out
for the use of the Senate and for the
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