"The expressed aim of the British Government in entering next week' Naval Conference is to achieve the maximum reduction in Naval armaments commensurate with international security, avoiding proposals that will wreck the chances of agreement and "bearing cot stantly in mind the extent of British Empire and its dependence on the Navy for the protection of her sen borne trade and maritime communications."
These were the words in which Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, the Premier, summed up British Naval policy in the statement he made to British and foreign journalists "Justification for the hope that such reduction may safely be realized," ho continued, "is to be found' primarily in the numerous Instruments for entrenching security which have been signed since the war. The Covenant of the League of Nations, the Washington Treaty, the Locarno Treaty, the Optional Clause and the Pact Paris are the most notable of these instruments, but in addition there have been a number of regional agreements to which the signatories attach considerable importance for the maintenance of the world's peace. The cumulative effect of these agreements, it is felt, is to make some advance in the direction of Naval disarmament possible, for, in the view of the Government, armaments must bear some relation to the immediate risk of war which, as a result of these agreements, has been reduced. It is bad statesmanship to maintain armaments beyond what is a necessity.
"Slt is the opinion of the Government, said the Premier, "that the dangerous. tendency within recent years to expand the world's Naval Armament may, unless checked, reapondingly and. the agreement whish comes out of the Conference must really represent International Policy.
international agreement to. ex. tend the life and reduce the size and gun power of replacement. batt Ships? he said,-"would be a great step forward. Agreement regard. ing cruisers as to number, size and distribution would also represent. a most valuable advance. As to sab-marines the Government favoured their complete abolition, but failing that they" aimed at reducing. their size and number to a minimum. Here again, however, the question arises of chi satisfactory librium between motion and nation and discussion of this point at the Conference will be highly important.
Tt is fully recognized" declared! Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, in. conclusion, "that points of view of iniduat nations, if unduly stressed, might destroy the chance of val fable results. So far as the British Government is concerned the into the Conference prepared our proposals which wil repre sent not merely their own point of view but which will represent. the most helpful basis for reaching Reneral agreement.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.