Jan. 18, A. revision of the Washington Treaty enabling the eventual scrapping of from three to American battleships and five to 13 British battleships appears likely a result of the approaching Londo Five-Power Naval Limitation Conference, it was said here to-day.
'The maximum decision would require a five years' extension of the ral holiday'
This is expected to be the Amerijcan reply to Mr. Ramsay Mac-Denald''s proposal for abolition of battleships and submarines.
The 11 battleships which might: bbe scrapped would be the Wyoming, Florida, Utah, New York, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma,—"Nevad Pennsylvania, Arizona and Mis sippi, it was stated, in the event} that the maximum proposal were adopted.
Meanwhile London dispatches to-[day indicated that the plan for holding the principal navies to their present strength for the next five years is finding favour with many delegates—United Press. of it at the anticipated General Election if the Government tempts to turn down the resolution, which they would be bound to do as they cannot afford thus to tie their delegates' hands, Jan, 17
Japan's interest in the London Naval Conference is made evident by the cabling verbatim of Mr. Ramsay MacDonald's statement to the press last Wednesday to Tokyo, where it has been carefully studied the Foreign Office, The British Premier's proposal for the eventual. abolition of capital ships is judged to be particularly significant. An official spokesman said today that while general opinion in Japan is hardly ready to" accept the idea, it is arousing sympathetic response in wide Auential cire The spokesman stated that Japan was agreeable to the proposed extension of the holiday in building capital ships until 1936 and "if, within that period American and~ British opinion approved of the jlition of capital ships the Japan-fosse people would probably be ready to follow their lead." Ho pointed lout that Japan's fleet of capital ships had cost a larger proportion fof her national income than that of fany other Power and hence. there was a strong conservative foding against scrapping ships for which the nation "had sweated to pay."—
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