Naval Competition The recommendation that £110,653,000 should be appro- priated
for the U.S. Navy in 1938 can only be received with satisfaction in this country. In the naval arms race that has followed Japan's withdrawal from the London Con- ference in 1936 the United States is not a competitor of Great Britain's. The two countries run together, and a strengthening of the United States Navy can only assist them in the defence of their common interests, particularly in the Pacific. In that connexion the visit of three American warships to Singapore is both significant and welcome. The Japanese may well prove to have been unwise in aban-. doning the policy of agreed restriction for that of open com- petition. Of the total appropriation recommended for the United States Navy, £28,000,000 is for the construction of two battleships ; it is evident that the new leviathans will be an adequate reply to the 43,000-ton vessels Japan is said to be constructing. Even more, the greater cruising range of the new ships can only be to the disadvantage of Japan. And in general it may be said that the " expan- sionist " nations cannot hope to win in an unrestricted race in naval armaments. The economic position of Germany, Japan and Italy is not such that they can destroy the decisive naval supremacy of the democratic Powers ; indeed, by competition they can only succeed in increasing it.
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