Evening star., 1936-03-25

any sea armaments race for at least
six years.
The new treaty also limited the
sizes Of the individual types of war
ships and inaugurated building holi
day for the larger type of cruisers. in
place of the battleship building holi-
day which endured for IA years under
the expiring Washington treaty.
American and British spokesmen
conceded that the chances of quanti-
tative limitation of navies had been
dead for more than year as result
OF the denunciation of the Washing
ton and London pacts by Japan, de-
manding full feet equality with the
world
The terms Of the new treaty, the
spokesmen said, contained all that
could have been expected from the
conference.
Anthony Eden, Britain's foreign Sec
retary, was named to preside at the
ceremony Of the signing Of the treaty
in the Queen Ann drawing room Of st.
James Palace, although Prime Min
lister Stanley Baldwin himself opened
the conference last December.
The chief American delegate, Nor
man H. Davis, President Roosevelts
''roving Ambassador" was scheduled
to speak after an address by Viscount
Monsell, first lord of the British Ad-
lniralty.
Representatives of Canada, Aus
tralia, New Zealand and India. men,
bers of the British commonwealth Of
nations, were the other signatories to
the treaty, participating in the pro-
gram.
The Irish Free State declined to sign
the treaty on the grounds that it af-
fected only naval powers and might
entail further obligations. The Union
of South Africa also failed to sign
because of technical reservations.
The treaty was left open for the
signatures later of Italy, which par
ticipated in the conference to the
end. but declined to sign the pact
while sanctions were in effect, and
Japan, which withdrew in the con-
troversy over its equality demands.
Some delegates held little hope that
Japan would adhere to the publicity
provisions of the pact.
The $50 ratio, the principal Sec
tion of the existing treaties to which
Japan objected, was eliminated under
the new agreement. Naval sources
anticipated, however, that the United
States and Britain would try unoffi-
cially to maintain their fleets at a
level which would prevent any altera-
ton in actual fact Of this ratio.
Although the new treaty limited
sizes Of ships and guns, any power
could build as many ships of any type
1t desired-a move prohibited under
both the Washington and the old
London treaties, expiring December
81. 1886.
The powers hoped the new treaty
would go into effect Immediately upon
expiration Of the old, or as soon as
ratification could be completed, to re-
main in effect until December 81, 1912.
35,000-Ton Class Remains.
The limitations on the size of bat
tleships remained at $4,000 tons, but
the powers agreed to consider in 1910
q possible reduction in size If expert
ments on new vessels proved this
practical. e..
The maximum size of guns was set
Professionally at IA inches, but the
i've signatories Of the Washington
treaty-the United States, Britain,
France, italy and Japan-must ratify
this by January /, 1887, or the present
16-inch limit will remain in effect.
For the first time, battleships were
divided into two classes-A, from
1880 tons up to $4,000 tons, and B,
from 5000 tons down to 100 tons. A
non reconstruction zone was imposed
on battleships between 1880 and
5000 tons.
The second class of battleships was
designated so that smaller naval
powers which might want to conform
to the treaty could build ships Of any
size under 5000 tons. although the
delegations realized there could be no
battleship as small as 100 tons, bear
ing . 10-inch gun-the lowest size in
the main batteries Of any battleship.
The treaty set the maximum size Of
cruisers at 5000 tons, with guns of a
61-inch maximum during the holi-
day in construction Of 10,000-ton
cruisers.
Aircraft carriers were cut from a
maximum of $1,000 tons to $4,000.
Guns were limited to 81 inches.
Submarine limitations remained the
same, size restricted to 1000 tons and
guns to ST. inches.
4 new class Of small craft, called