Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-13
Stimson Tells Committee TO-
000- Ton Vessels Still Remain
Unknown Quantity.
CHAIRMAN OF DELEGATES
QUESTIONED BY ROBINSON
Cabinet Member Completes Direct
Statement to Senate
Group.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

Secretary Stin1son, head of the Anieri-
can naval delegation at London, told
the Senate foreign relations committee
today that the s-inch gun, lO,Ooo-ton
cruiser must not be considered a SUBJ
stitute for the battleship. He denied
that the battleship is to be discarded
at this time.
Furthermore, Mr.. Stimson insisted
that the 8-inch-gun cruisers are still
an unknown quantity since they have
never been used in naval warfare. He
said too, that in his opinion the Ameri-
can delegation to the London Confer
ence had acted wisely in accepting an
almost equal tonnage in inch and 6
inch gun cruisers.
Mr.. Stimson made these assertions
in response to questions asked him by
Senator Robinson of Indiana, who ap-
peared to be impressed with reports
that the 8-inch cruiser Of 10000 tons
was the character of naval vessel which
the need of the United States for naval
defense required.
Statement Completed.
Senator Hale, chairman Of the naval
affairs committee, announced today he
would begin the hearings before his
committee on the naval treaty at 1880
am. tomorrow, with Secretary Adams
of the Navy as the first witness. Sen
ator Hale said he had only postponed
his hearings until Secretary Stimson
should complete his statement in re-
gard to the treaty to the Senate's for
eign relations committee.
Secretary Stin1son completed his
statement to the foreign relations com
mittee today" said Senator Hale, "and
the naval affairs committee will go
ahead with its hearings tomorrow, with
Secretary Adams as its first witness"
Tomorrow when Mr.. Stin1son appears
again before the committee at 1890
am. he will be questioned furtner by
the members of the committee. In MS
statement to the committee today, Mr..
Stimson discussed in detail the reduc-
tion in the United States Navy and in
the nayies of Great Britain and Japan
which would follow the adoption OF the
naval limitation agreement ard the
saving in money.
He discussed, too, the affect Of the
agreement upon the relative size OF the
navies of the United States and Japan.
Great praise was given by Secretary
Stimson to the Japanese government
and the japanese delegation for their
adherance to the treaty provisions which
gave the United States Navy marked
superiority over their own in the face
of strong big navy party in Japan.
Stimson Given Support.
Senator Robinson of Indiana sought
to obtain from Mr.. Stimson informa-
ton as to whether the American dele
CATION had taken into consideration the
superiority which Britain has over the
United States in merchant vessels capa-
BILE Of being converted for use as crlis-
ers in the event of war.
Mr.. Stimson replied that 1t win be
utterly impossible to reach any agree
ment for naval limitations which under
took to give to the United States addi-
tional cruisers to Offset the preponder-
ance of merchant tonnage possessed by
Great Britain.
Senator Robinson Of Arkansas, DEM
ocratic leader of the Senate and men,
Der of the American delegation at the
London Conference, and also a men,
Der of the foreign relations committee,
made statement to the committee
backing up Secretary Stimson on this
subject.
Two Practical Obstacles.
Senator Robinson said that the Ameri-
can delegation had adopted actual COM
bat power of the two navies as the
measure of parity for the United States
and Great Britain. He said that there
were two practical obstacles to taking
into account the merchant ships of
Great Britain in arriving at naval parity.
The first, he said, was due to the fact
that there is no scientific or accurate
way to determine the combat value of
merchant ships which may be converted
in time of war
The second obstacle, he said, was the
impossibility to secure any naval limi-
tation at this time if an attempt should
be made to obtain for the United States
an additional number Of cruisers to
offset the superiority of Great Britain
in merchant vessels.
Senator Robinson said that no one
had ever proposed that any nation be
limited in the number of merchant
vessels which it should construct. He
said that it might be possible in the
future to obtain an agreement to abol-
iSh the use Of merchant vessels as con-
verified war vessels.
Explains Clause.
Chairman Borah of the foreign rela-
tons committee, asked Secretary
Stimson to interpret for the committee
the so-called escape clause" carried In
the treaty, which would permit the
United States, Great Britain or Japan
to build additional naval vessels If they
became convinced that their national
security was threatened by the naval
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