Evening star., 1932-01-05
EXPERT SEES PLAN
TO CUT Bic SHIPS
British officials Deny Three
Points in Proposal Attrib-
uted to Admiralty.
BY NEGLEY FARSON.

/ BY Gable to The Star
( LONDON, England, January 5.-Co-
incident with the arrival of Ambassador
I Charles G. Dawes in the United States
| to discuss with President Hoover Amer
ica's attitude on the forthcoming dis
armament conference in Lausanne, the
Daily Telegraph's naval correspondent,
Hector Bywater. reveals what he under
stands will be the British proposals.
These are vigorously cenied by official
quarters III London, but as Mr.. Bywater
has previously been the mouthpiece OF
certain sections Of admiralty opinion
and as such very likely represents a
certain section of British opinion, they
are now worth attention.
The alleged proposals are:
l. Reduction OF the size of battle
ships from the existing standard of
35 900 tons to below $4,000 tons, with
guns reduced rom 16-inch to IL or 1875
inches
2. Cruisers limited to 5000 tons,
with 6-inCh guns.
3. Abolition of submarines.
L. S. Favors Battleships.
With the last alone the United
States is in complete accord The
Britishing sponsoring of the first two
proposals would be a direct cOntradic-
tion of Americas two chief demands,
as she fayorS the battleship or a float
ing fort in the far reaches of the Pa
cific-owing to our lack of naval bases
and favOrS 8-inCh, 1OO00-ton CruiS-
ers for the same reason.
At the present moment not one
American battlcship is as fast as any
first British 16 nor any 10 Japanese.
The largest American ships are three
Of the West Virginia class, of $4,000
tons carrying eight l6-inch guns and
with a speed of q knots. They were
built in 1928.
The largest British battleships, the
Superb, the Rodney and the Nelson
OF $4,000, carrying nine 16-inch guns
with a speed of % knots, were built in
1927. In addition, however, the Brit
ish have the battle cruiser Hood, fin
est fighting ship aflOat, of 4l,000 tons
with eight l5-inch guns and speed Of
81 knots 1t was built in 1920.
The japanese have two Of the MutSu
class Of $1,000 tons. with eight 16-inch
guns and a speed of % knots, built in
1921.
Shows Alignment.
At the present moment the size of
the American, British and Japanese
battleship fleets Of l8. 20 and 10 Is
limited by the London Naval Confer
ence to IS, is and 8. BY this date the
United States would have eight ships
not obsolete, Great Britain only three
and Japan nine. 1t can be seen, there
fore, relatively how much quicker Great
Britain could rhodernize her feet.
An 8-incI. gun cruiser has been the
outstanding United States demand. 1t
demanded "a guns at Geneva in 1927,
81 guns at the er-MacDonald
Rapidan talEs preceding the London
Conference, secured 18 at the London
Conference, but can only build Is with
out radically causing an upward re-
vision Of the japanese feet.
Defending the American settlement
in London before the Foreign Relations
Committee, Admiral William V. Pratt S
statement that America would equal the
British feet is strongly opposed by high
ranking Adnirals Hilary P. Jones and
Mark L. Bristol, who said that the Navy
Board preferred 8-inch to 6-inch guns
anu IAdL 10 o-uLCH gun CAuISeIS were
insufficient to secure parity with Great
Britain and, in fact permitted rela-
tive increase Of strength to Japan,
which was allowed to build II.
1t is possible that the British ad-
miralty might deny Hector Bywater's
story but the main idea of the pro-
posals shows the significant alignment
of British opinion with France and
Japan.
Copyright, 1922