London, Mar. 2.
The First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. A. Duff-Cooper, was asked in the House of Commons to-day if he had any information to give the House regarding the building by Japan of a new series of small battle-cruisers carrying heavy guns for use as commerce raiders, and what steps the Board of Admiralty proposed to take to deal with such a development.
Mr. Duff-Cooper said that the answer to the first part ofthe question was in the negative and the second part, therefore, did not really arise, but the House would be aware that the question of Japanese naval construction was at present under consideration by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom in consultation with the other Powers concerned.—Wireless through Reuter,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.