Paris, Feb. 1.
Britain and the United States have not yet reached a decision regarding the size of future warships for the respective fleets, an official announcement stated here to-day.
Experts of the two nations are working on tentative designs for Warships to be laid down in the near future, but no definite decision to exceed the London Naval Treaty restrictions has been reached, the announcement said.
Earlier reports had indicated that conferences between British and American naval authorities had resulted in an agreement to build super-warships above the 35,000-ton class.
Reliable sources here revealed that Italy would engage in over-size warships if Britain exceeded the. London Naval Treaty regulations. Such action by Italy, it was pointed out, would also force France to engage in the construction of larger warships.
French officials revealed several days ago that the Government would probably soon launch an enlarged naval building programme to keep pace with the international naval construction race. The present French building programme would leave the French Navy inferior to Italy's fleet at the conclusion of present building plans by the two countries, it was Pointed out, France therefore must undertake additional naval construction to assure communication with her colonies and protection of her coast.—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.