Salt Lake Telegram | 1927-11-17 | Page 14 | Limitation in British Navy Causes Debate

N It I BRITISH NAVY CAUSES Df DEBATE A If LONDON DON Nov Kov 17 AP Great AP-Great Great Britain was In the throes of ot heated discussion today of ot naval limitation limitation and the failure of ot the conference b between tween Japan Great Britain and The th United States at Geneva last summer Bummer Viscount Cecils Cecil's attack in the house house- of ot lords on the British gov- gov I attitude toward disarmament disarmament disarmament ment and the announcement in the Souse house house of ot commons by W. W C C. C Bridgeman Bridgeman Bridge- Bridge man first lord of or the admiralty That that only one cruiser WO would ld Ve lie b laid down Bonn this ye year year brought the naval naval laval question to the fore Refusal of ot the British government government government govern govern- ment to admit the principle ol of mathematical parity in naval strength with the United States State angs bolts and bars the door against any hope of ot agreement with America on naval armaments Viscount Discount Cecil said This was seized upon avidly by hy the the- opposition tion t n papers as a damning arraignment arraign arraign- nent ment m nt of the government They rhey made the point that the cabinet allowed itself to be ruled by technical technical tech tech- advisers and that it was high time Ume these were wele put in their proper pJ place ce Dir h Brid Bridgeman eman announced that In Ia view of the situation disclosed at Geneva it was not thought necessary sary to proceed with the three cruisers originally o provided for lor Inc Incurrent in incurrent c current naval estimates and therefore therefore there there- fore fore only one would be bo laid down GOVERNMENT BOWS The government has at last owed wed to the storm of protest from the he country on the excessive na na- tl nal expenditure and the the- need for f further disarmament measures the th Westminster Gazett Gazettes Gazette's s 's political correspondent wrote of this announcement an- an Viscount Cecil Cedi said that the unyielding unyielding un un- yielding attitude of the American delegates at Geneva on some questions ques ques- ti ns such as the right to put eight eight- Inch guns on any cruiser was entirely entirely en- en irely wrong but that it also seemed madness to him bim to allow the negotiations negotiations tl to break upon such a point Writing to Lady Iveagh conservative conserva conserva- tive tJ candidate in the election by-election inS in S Southern Southend Mr 11 Bridgeman said there as never a moment of disagreement disagreement disagreement disagree disagree- ment between Viscount Cecil and his colleagues at Geneva neva The British T rot lie he said sald would have saved saved the government 4 annually In replacements replacements replace- replace ments of capital ships and also f on every cruiser constructed con con- in the future and a n. pro pro- proportionate saving in destroyers and Submarines The British declared was economy and the elimination of ot competitive build build- faig tg lg of warships APPEALS APPEALS PEALS TO TAXPAYERS Ir Bridgeman's announcement to to- cruisers appealed most to the average Briton because of saving itS its saving to taxpayers It was fig fig- figured lured that the building of the two cruisers now abandoned would cost roughly he h annual cost of upkeep for a Ingle cruiser was estimated at about bout J As a n. cruisers cruiser's lire life approximately fifteen years theo the combined o expenditure for fOI cOnstruct construe construe- t and maintenance anc of two cruisers CrUISers cruis- cruis ers would be something like J 11 EThe The Daily Express regarded the Bridgeman Br announcement as fores fore- fore s a further cut in the naVal building program next March The e Westminster Gazette Gazett however nos was as not so EO optimistiC Whether Mr Mr Bridgeman's statement Is a In form or one ot of sub of-sub substance sub sub- stance cannot be determined until n next years year's shipbuilding program is presented to parliament that paper paper paper pa pa- per per declared