Evening star., 1932-11-15
Reduction to Level Below
EngIand'S Present Fleet
Is First Step in Plan.
POWERS REGARD FRENCH
SUGGESTION AS COMPLEX
Receives Favorable Reception
acknowledgements on German
Equality Issue to Be Sought.
BY NEGLEY FARSoN.

By Gable to The Star.
LONDON, November 15.-The British
are proposing in Geneva tomorrow the
complete abolition Of the airplane as a
weapon Of war. Realizing that they
will not get immediate acceptance, the
British are suggesting air disarmament
In two stages:
First, reduction Of the worlds air
fleets to a level below that now pos
seSsed by the British, which Is 1,434
war planes. This reduction aims TO
secure general equality among the air
forces. France has 2,375 planes, the
United States LISP, Japan 1889, Italy
1,705, and Germany none.
Germany is to have no war planes by
the British proposal, as it calls for
total abolition. Whether this viii be
achieved by gradualism or in two
further stages is not revealed. The
British, of course, are proposing the
complete abolition Of aerial lombard
ment.
The British are also proposing. under
Foreign Minister Sir John Simon's re-
cent statement, that all the nations
shall agree not to use force The
British consider this an amplihcation
Of the Kellogg pact, wherein the nations
are merely pledged not to 60 to war.
The pledge not to use force would have
automatically placed the Japanese in
the position Of aggressor In tho recent
Manchurian and Shanghai row.
Backed by Conservatives.
The British air proposal can be called
the Baldwin plan. 1t was first revealed
by Stanley Baldwin, former prime min
lister, who Is now lord president Of the
council, In a striking speech In Parlia-
ment, warning the youth Of the world
Of the danger Of controlling the inven-
ton Of death from the air.
As Baldwin Is outStandingly the
strongest man In the present govern
ment-not excepting Prime Minister
Ramsay MacDonald-h proposal has
the complete backing Of the majority
Conservative party, which is now run
ming the British government as regards
both home and foreign policy.
The British air proposals can be said
to be the chief British disarmament
contribution to Geneva. The British
cabinet Is still unable to agree upon
further naval reductions. Norman H.
Davis, American delegate, got a long
way with the British, but all hinged
upon proviSos. The fact that neither
Britain nor the United States has
money to maintain or build up to the
London naval treay figures means that
there Is real sea disarmament here al
ready, if only on the American side it
means the scrapping Of blueprintS.
But the French so-called disarmament
plan, which is really security" plan,
popped in Geneva yesterday, made It
plain that any French naval reduction
is dependent upon a Mediterranean
pact. pact that was absolutely re-
fused by both Italy and Britain at the
London Naval Conference.
Naval Controversy Remains.
The italian naval squabble,
therefore, has not advanced one step
over it's status In 1880. The British will
not reduce their feet until that Is
settled.
And what about the American feet
and the Manchurian question?
The British are also in vital conflict
with the French proposal on the man.
ner of air disarmament, the automatic
determination Of the aggressor, the use
of the British Navy thereby for blockade
under the command of the League Of
Nations, and on the fact that the French
plan makes no reference to the German
demand for arms equality, which both
the British and Germans consider the
fundamental first point to be settled be-
fore the Disarmament Conference can
proceed.
If the complicated French plan, with
ba1 rNf racorzra tiOY1C IN he H0ri-
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column g.