The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-11-28
NAVAL.
RACE, NO new.
ACCORD SEEN
December London Confer.
ence Obligatory; Futility
Is Anticipated
By FREDERICK KUE
nited Press Staff CORRESPONDENTS

tlOn VIII open mere early in De
cember with the United States
Britain, Japan, France and Ital,
as pallbearers.
Russia will send a naval attach,
to the conference and while the
delegates are in session, contact
with Britain and Moscow will be
maintained through diplomat,
channels.
Many a conference has bear
held since the end Of the Work
war with the outcome in doubt OF
success improbable, but none has
been convened with experts SC
unanimous in their prediction OF
failure. And failure to limit tn.
number of warshipS possessed BIZ
each naval power, to restrict tn
size Of every type of fighting Graf,
and fix the maximum caliher OF
guns will mean, the experts ex,
plain, intensified rivalry at sea
costly building and the nourish
ment of new suspicion and ami
mostly in a world already torn by
competing nationalism.
SESSION is OBLIGATORY
Britain has convoked the con-
ference without hope of success.
4 Washington treaty clause obi
gated the Signatory powers to
meet before the end Of 1885. No
body anticipates perpetuation of
the 1922 Washington Treaty,
which for 13 years has confined
warShip building to a limit with
out which a wild race might have
enSued.
That treaty will expire at the
end of next year. While it lasted,
it limited battleships, big cruisers
and aircraft carriers of the five
naval nations to ratio of five for
the United States, five for Britain,
three for Japan and LIS each for
France and Italy.
Nor is there hope Of prolonging
the London naval agreement OF
1880, regulating the relative
strength of the United States,
Britain and Japan in small cruis-
erS, destroyers and submarines.
Following Japan's denunciation
of the Washington treaty on De-
cember 29, 1884, lit became obliga-
tory to confer before the end OF
1885 with the treaty lapsing after
December 81, 1886. The London
naval accord expires automatlcal-
IL, unless renewed, on the same
date. And its renewal is admit
tedlv out of the question.
PRELIMINARY EFFORTS FAIL
Efforts undertaken last year
to Law the foundation for a new
naval understanding failed dis
mally. United States and British
DELEGATES met in London in June
and July. 1884. and again-thlS
time with the Japanese - from
October % to December -. ia
mans demand for tOn-for-ton
equality with each of the Anglo
Saxon Powers resulted in a dead.
lock. toward the solution OF
which no progress has been maze
in the Intervening year. -,
A certain improvement mas
been effected in Anglo-Unlte!d
States naval relations. The Uni
tod States informally abandoned
its opposition to Britains' addition
of 30 cruisers to its present o.
So remarkably has the former DiI-
ter rivalry between the Brltish
and United States navleS diIIln-
ished that. according to reliable
the suggestion of JOINT
Anplo-United States naval ma
neuvers in the Atlantic, possibly
off the West Indies, has 6een
made privately and unottlciaIly.
But one can look for and lohs
for signs of naval understanding
which would be welcome to the
taxpayer. The United States ana
Japan, respectively, In May anu
Jniv August this year, unloosed
their battle fleets for impressive
maneuvers uncomfortably close
10 the international date line:
Meanwhile other evidences OF
for strength IN the
Pacific have been discerned IN
the increase of the current year 5
I-rited States and Japanese naval
concentrations, respectively. from
SEso 0OO, 900 to S550,00O,OOO and
= ,,,,royimatelv 4SS,000,0 900
ven to 529,6S3,OO0 yen;
FLEET AIR FORCES CHOW
Roth have been enlarglng thelr
freat air arms. The United States
has been preparing TO erect ar
L i,s'S ~ the Aleutian Islands and
is installing commercial air lnsS
a ~ the Pacific via Ha"an,
Widwav, Wake, Guam and I'M the
Phiiirn;nes, Japan has denled the
Z fIl mn of its inundated IS,
i ion Ssi Int the League of Nations
Mandates commission has sn1Mh
nneasv concern for port ueEeiop
mnnts in those Islands; and
ooo w r5n predominant IN
ScOnOHllSaLIS ;. ;oornaSinQly
Manchukuo, China IS ny. o Of az
faced with the alternative Oh ~ az
ouiescing in Japan's Monrosg, gTw o,
trine for Eastern Asia or 1lnuiHs
that doctrine enforced oeSp''e
Chinese opposition. l,rolon.
In the midst of these dev goSp-
ments in the east, the recrueeo;H N
ence of German naval strength ~,
the west has brought the voi en,,t
of European naval rivalries, Spat ,
tering slightly OF dormant loi
wears, close to eruption.
pads, knapsacks-anythlng ~
.rainproof canvas at a saving 70
you. w. A. Keith Co. Pnohs )
APO.