Evening star., 1933-10-08
BR|T0N DEFENDS
CRUISER PROTEST
Demarche at Washington
Held to Be Only Attempt
to Curb Arms.
BY HECTOR BYWATER,

Naval Expert for London Daily Telegraph.
LONDON, October tN.AN.A).-
Surprise, and even resentment, has been
expressed in ce. .tain quarters at the
British governments action in making
representations at Washington in regard
to the new United States cruisers. Some
American critics profess to see in this
action an attempt to interfere with
American domestic affairs.
Nothing could be wider of the mark.
Our demarche at Washington was
merely one among the many legitimate
efforts made by this country to solve
the vexed question of naval limitation,
a question in which the United States
is lust as interested as we are. The
antecedents of this latest move may be
shortly summarized.
For the past seven years it has been
a constant aim of British policy to Sc
cure a reduction in the size OF war
ships. with the tWofold purpose of re-
stricting their aggressive powers and
diminishing their cost. Thanks to
American and japanese cooperation,
marked progress already has been
achieved in this direction.
Cruisers Still Problem.
BY the London treaty, for example,
future torpedo craft and submarines
built by the three powers concerned
must not exceed certain dimensions.
France and Italy accepted some OF
these restrictions, though not all.
But capital ships and cruisers still
remain the cruX of the problem. Under
the Washington pact they were limited
10 35 600 and 10000 tons, respectively
These limits have long been recognized
as much too vide by every power save
the United States
At the abortive Geneva Conference OF
1927 at the London gathering in 1880
and repeatedly at the Disarmament Con-
ference since. Great Britain has urged
a drastic scaling down of the existing
standards. Briefly. she proposes limit
of $4,000 tons for battleships and, if
that be accepted, corresponding limit
of 1000 tons on cruisers.
Japan. France and Italy have lent a
sympathetic ear to these proposals, and
it is probable that they would accept
them with certain notifications. Only
the United States holds back her view
or. rather the view of the United
States Navy General Board-being that
mammoth ships are indispensable.
6-Inch Guns Mounted.
Consequently. the two cruisers to be
built under this years prosperity pro-
gram are to be 10000-ton ships. though
mounting only 6-inch guns. The larg-
est 6-inch gun cruisers building else
where are: Great Britain. 1000 tons:
Japan, $500: France, 1900; Italy, 6,790
tons.
The British representation to the
United States was, apparently. to the
effect that the building of such very
large cruisers. though involving no
breach of treaty rules. would be apt to
stimulate new rivalry in tons and
guns. thus creating a serious obstacle
to further limitation.
The outlook has not been improved
by admissions at Washington that the
new cruisers must be of big tonnage to
enable them, if necessary. to wage war
across the Pacific. Japan has promptly
retorted by ordering new cruiser
which is reported to exceed 5000 tons.
Race Is Seen.
Already. therefore, the danger to
which the British government has
drawn attention appears to be develop
ing. Yet it is clear that beyond max
ink friendly representations we can oC
nothing We have long set an example
by building all our WarShips to much
lower dimensions than those fixed by
treaty, though in so doing We have.
of course. accepted a grave decline in
relative strength.
This process of one-sided limitation
cannot continue indefinitely. If very
large ships are built for one navy. their
duplication by other first-class navies is
only a question of time. 1t follows.
therefore, that the size of the new
United States cruisers. SO far from be-
ing purely a domestic matter. is a sub
ject of immediate concern to all her
partners in the naval limitation treaties
Fer these reasons Great Britain. in
making the recent demarche at Wash
1ngton, was not merely exercising a
right, but fulfilling an obvious duty.
copyright, 1893. By North American News
paper Alliance. Inc.y