Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-07
MACDONALD SIDES WITH STIMSON
IN STATING EMPIRES NAVY PLAN
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
cruisers. the statement said, will be
governed by the decision of the con-
ference regarding limitation In size
and units. During recent converse
tons between Great Britain and the
United States it was assumed that
British Empire needs would be $4,000
tons, divided into so cruisers.
Total Hinges on Submarines.
The British proposal is that the limit
assigned destroyer leaders should be
, 1850 tons, and for destroyerS, 1900
tors, the maximum size of guns in both
classes being 5-inch.
The present British building program
for destroyers is 100000 tons ultimately,
but this can be reduced if the sub
marine programs of the other powers
are reduced, for obviously the size and
total tonnage of destroyers must largely
| depend upon the size and total tonnage
| of submarines.
Col. StimSon, head of the American
! oeieSation, in his lengthy statement to
the press, epitomized American naval
limitation aims and ideals and revealed
the points on which progress has been
made
While Col. Stimson's statement mere
geStlonS," it was known to have been
with Prime Minister Macdonald'S
knowledge.
OF Japan it was said, Suggestions"
had been made which would produce
an overall relation satisfactory to us,
and, we hope, to them. In conformity
with our relations in the past, it Is
not based upon the same ratio in every
class of ships"
Col. StimSon, concluding, made refer
ence to the French-Italian naval rela-
( tionShip problem, by many considered
the hardest nut the conference has
to crack, saying:
we have not made proposals to
the French and Italians, whose prob
lens are not so directly related to ours
that we feel it appropriate at this time
to make suggestions to them. A set
tlement of italian and of French prcb-
lens is essential, of course, to the
agreement contemplated"
Text of British Statement.
The text of the statement. which
presented the British viewpoint. lust as
Secretary Stinson's statement yesterday
presented the American, was as follows:
His majeSty's government in the
United Kingdom considers the Naval
Conference of supreme importance. 1t
believes the conference ought not only
to reduce existing fleets and building
programs, but put an end finally to
competition in naval ornaments and
thus constitute an important step
toward the ultimate elimination of the
causes of war and toward establish
ment OF peace on an unassailable
foundation.
"The policy Of his majesty's govern
ment in the United Kingdom is to keep
the highway of the seas open for trade
and communicate and in relation to
the political state of the world, to take
what steps are necessary to secure
this. In estimating its naval needs the
government has also to take into &C
count its obligations under the covenant
OF the League of Nations, partly Offset
though they are by the security affored
under the covenant by its provision
on mutual support.
War Chances Are Estimated.
''There are also other commitments
which have to be fulfilled in rela-
ton to the present state of the world.
In deciding what these commitments
amount to in terms of naval strength
the government has to estimate the
chances of war breaking out, because
unless this is done, fleets will be built
threaten rather than protect and will at
best be a waste of national resources.
THE Government feels that If naval
esta bllShmentS are not to be a menace
an equilibrium must be maintained be-
tween them by means OF international
agreement. It feels, moreover, that this
equilibrium will not be secured by mere
numerical equality in ships and ton
mage, but only by adoption of agreed
hoCaH snF
requirements, affecting diSpersions.
etcetera, and In which the menace will
be reduced as much as possible.
Limitation Held Advisable.
This cannot be done by any general
formula or ratio. It must be the sub
ject of conferences such as this, and
Of agreements made for periods at the
end of which they should be reviewed.
and during which governments should
be engaged in strengthening the foun-
dations of peace.
1T is therefore proposed that the
general agreement resulting from this
conference should run until 1886, and
that in 1885 a further conference
should be called to review the situa-
ton in relation to world relations.
I'm view Of these considerations, his
majesty's government in the United
Kingdom suggests the following pro-
poSals for the conference:
1.-THE agreement should be not upon
global tonnage, but upon the size of
individual ships in the various cate
gories and upon the tonnage used by
each nation in each of these categorieS.
1.-THE categories should be capital
ships. aircraft carriers, cruisers, de-
stroyerS and submarines.
AN agreement by categories Is neces-
sary in order to obtain elimination Of
competitive building and the mainte-
nance of equilibrium between fleet and
feet. These two points are essential if
security is to be obtained. 1t is not
only the total tonnage of a feet which
counts, but the use to which these tons
are put, and an agreement on the latter
point is called for.
Way to Transfer is Left Open.
cat some time it might be convenient
to allow percentage of tonnage assign
ed to different categories to be trans
ferred to other categories. The British
government, however, does not favor a
general transfer. 1t is opposed to trans
fer in regard to capital ships, aircraft
and submarines. In regard to cruisers,
it would permit the transfer out of the
8-inch class into the 6-inch class on
which remains to be ar
The object of this arrange
ment would be to take into account the
special needs of countries which require
a large proportion of small cruisers.
THE government proposes that the
number Of capital ships for each sig
natory af9xed by the Washington treaty
should be reached within 10 months
of ratification of the treaty resulting
from this conference instead Of BY
1896 1t proposes that no replacement
of existing ships should take place be-
fore the next conference N 1895, and
that in the meantime the whole ques-
ton of capital ships should be the
subject of negotiation between the pow