Evening star., 1934-06-26
NATIONS PREPARE
To REBUILD FLEETS
IF ACCORD FAILS
U. S. Would Lay First Bat
tIeship Keel in 16 Years
in 1886.
BRITISH ADMIRALTY
ASKS 70 CRUISERS
MacDonald's Efforts to Curb
Construction Seen as Vain
Hope.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.
The keel to the first American
battleship to be built since 1920 will
be laid early in 1886, unless the next
Naval Conference proves to be a sueS
cess.
In well informed quarters it was
stated that should the Naval Confer
ence fail, the five powers which signed
the Washington naval agreement in
1921 will be free again to start re-
placements of capital ships. These
provide the replacement of one bat
tleship in 1886, two in 1897 and so
on The actual replacement should
have started in 1880. but at the Lon
don Naval Conference of that year
it was agreed between the five sigma
tories, Great Britain, the United
States, Japan, France and Italy that
the program should be postponed
until the next conference in 1895.
During this time none of the mari
time powers replaced their capital
ships but two nations. France and
Italy recently began construction of
the $4,000 tons allotted them in 1921
in that class of vessels.
Preparations Begun.
1t is reported that in spite of the
conversations which are going on in
London among the diplomatic repre-
sentatives of the five powers prepara-
tions are being made in every country
for beginning the replacement of the
obsolete ships. The life of battleship
was agreed not to exceed 20 years.
The keel of Americas latest ship of
this type. the West Virginia. was laid
down in 1920. The others are much
older and would have been due for
replacement in 1880 if the London
naval agreement had not provided
otherwise.
Had it not been for the Washington
naval agreement of 1921, when the
American Navy swapped brand-new
battleships for the blueprints of other
countries, the American battle fleet
would be more modern than any other
in the world today.
The washington treaty provides that
unless notice Of its termination is
given by one of the signatories the
agreement should last for another two
years. But since that treaty was SUBJ
ject to the decisions to be reached at
the conference scheduled for 1885 the
replacement of battleships will begin
when the London naval agreement
ends
This does not change the nature of
the Washington treaty, since the
same ratios are maintained, and will
not be considered as a denunciation
OF that pact It merely gives the sig
natories the right to avail themselves
OF the privilege to modernize their
feet by disposing of the ships which
have reached the age limit and re-
place them by new units
No Agreement Seen.
The pessimism concerning the pos
sibility of reaching an understanding
at the next conference continues to
shroud the London conversations, de-
spite the effort of the diplomats to
adopt more cheerful tone.
1t is true that Ramsay Macdonald
has indicated he would like to see an
actual reduction at the next confer
ence instead of the upward limitation
which the British Admiralty de-
mands. But Macdonald has always
been a partisan of downward revision
of armaments and always has been
defeated in this purpose by the strong
stand of the British Admiralty, which
is talking national defense and the
protection of the sea lanes against
any combination of enemies.
1t is believed that today more than
ever before, when the British public
opinion is awake to the dangers of
new European conflict, the Admiralty,
which presented demands for an in
crease of the navy will have more to
say than Macdonald, who appears to
disregard at present their demands.
Under the pressure of public opin-
ion, which in 1880 hoped that a new
era of peace and disarmament was
possible, the Admiralty yielded to
Macdonald and gave up its claims for
70 cruisers, which they had demand
ed at the Geneva conference in 1927.
Today the situation has been re-
versed and because of the latent pos
sibilities of a new war. the Admiralty
demands again 10 cruisers for the
British navy.
In order to continue the conversa-
tions in less strained atmosphere,
Macdonald is reported to have in
formed Ambassador at Large Norman
H. Davis that these were merely
tentative demands. which should not
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