3 DECEMBER 1927, Page 2

Mr. Duff Cooper moved an amendment expressing full - approval of

the GoVerriment policy. . This was valuable, as Mr. Duff Cooper is a stout friend of the League. -We entirely- agree with his important reserva- tion, however, that if Great Britain had unquestioningly . accepted " mathematical parity " at the Naval Conference the United States would almost certainly not want to -build as many -ships as she feels inclined to build now. Mr. Bridgeman said with truth that at the Conference the British delegates . had worked earnestly for peace when they proposed " to limit aggressive power by classes of • ships.".. •It. was on the.- question of tonnage, not upon the question of eight-inch guns (as Lord Cecil had wrongly stated), that the Conference had broken down.