Salt Lake Telegram | 1931-09-23 | Page 3 | U. S. Thought Ready to Let Navy Power Sink below Treaty

r Hus U. U US U.S. S. S Thought Ready To Let Navy Power r 1 Sin Sink Bel Below w Treaty r Attitude of Geneva Conference Confer Confer- L ence Will Decide Further J Reduction By JOSEPH H. H BAIRD Copyright 1931 by United Press WASHINGTON Sept 23 The 23 The administration ad ministration was sas represented today by one of Its informed spokesman as willing to carry naval disarmament to levels even lower than those established 1 by the Washington and London Lon don treaties Any steps t toward ward further disarmament disarmament ment nent this official pointed out will depend on the attitudes and proposals of the other powers at the Geneva conference next February It Is 15 significant sig however that the administration administration adminis adminis- Is giving considerable thought to the costliness of battleships Undersecretary of State William R. R Castle has compiled figures to show that the long iong term cost cast of a a. single battleship is a quarter of a billion dol dol- dol lars H He secured this estimate by totaling to to- the ships ship's original cost its maintenance for twenty years and 5 per cent compound interest interest inter inter- est on the capital invested in It Great Britain has Informally sugg suggested suggested sug sug- g tro to certain American officials that battleships be abolished Whether the United States would be to go that far at Geneva Genera I even even if the Japanese concurred concurred is is considered doubtful by observers here bere The United States Great Britain nd and Japan will wUl enter the general disarmament disarmament dis dis- dis armament conference at Geneva next year as parties to two ns 1 treaties one signed at Washington n in 1922 and the other at London in 1930 The Washington treaty declared a ten y year Ar holiday on battleship building which was ext extended five years more ito to 10 December 31 1936 by 1936 by the Lou Lon London Loudon I don treaty which also o limited auxiliary aux aux- mary types I