Scrap of Treaty

No treaties ever served general maintenance of the Peace of the World better than the Five-Power Washington Treaty (which ended naval building races for 15 years with its 5-5-3 ratio) and the Nine-Power Washington Treaty (which operated for a decade to keep the "Open Door" for of a China decade ajar to and restrain the the aggressive proclivities of Japan). Last week, with these treaties about to expire, the London Naval Conference had whipped another into shape to be signed this week at St. James's Palace. Appropriate speeches were to be made by President Roosevelt's grey and graceful little Ambassador-at-Large Norman Hezekiah Davis and the chief delegates of Britain and France.

These diplomats' months of work have been to save as much as possible of the flag of naval Peace. It was blown to tatters in their hands by the shot Japan discharged in withdrawing from the conference because her "honor" would not permit her to abide by the 5-5-3 ratio any longer (TIME, Jan. 27). The Naval Conference was seen this week to have saved for signing a scrap of a treaty.

The new London Naval Treaty does not fix any naval ratio among the Great Powers, does not limit the total tonnage or number of effectives of any navy, has no concern with the peace of Eastern Asia and provides no wedge for the Open Door of China which Japan is now fast closing. Those four safeguards to the Peace of the World have definitely been allowed to lapse.

The new Treaty is drafted to run until 1942. It is to be signed by only the U.S., Britain and France. It provides that none of the signatories shall build or otherwise acquire: Capital Ships of over 35,000 tons each; Aircraft Carriers of over 23,000 tons; Class "A" Cruisers of 10,000 ton; Class "B" Cruisers of over 8,000 tons; Destroyers of over 3,000 tons or Submarines of over 2,000 tons. Similarly there is limitation of the gun calibres of each of the foreign types of ships. Thus no Capital Ship is to have guns of more than 16 in. calibre, no Submarine guns of more than 5.1 in.

Within these "qualitative" limits each of the Great Powers can build "quantitatively'' up to any battle power it pleases. In the Treaty are "escape clauses," so that if the signatories should discover, for example, that Albania was building a 100,000-ton Capital Ship with 40-in. guns, they would be automatically relieved of their obligations and could do likewise.

The Treaty contains a list of official definitions to which the signatories agree. They bind themselves for example to abide by the decision that "submarines" are "naval vessels designed to operate below the surface of the sea."

Finally the Treaty binds all signatories to send each other prompt particulars of all warboats which they intend to build, are building for themselves or other countries in their yards, have completed or have bought.

Significance. While polishing up their orations for delivery this week, London Naval Conference statesmen said in candid asides last week: "The new Treaty is preferable to not signing anything at all."

His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom was reported to have been informed that the Treaty will not be signed by His Majesty's Government in the Irish Free State. Expected to sign, though, were several other of His Majesty's Governments. They have all been represented by a separate delegation each at the Conference, its great table having been surrounded at all times by a majority of British faces.

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