News of the Week The Naval Conference T HEpreparations arc almost
complete for the Naval Conference which will be opened by the King next Tuesday in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords. On Wednesday the Prime Minister received the journalists who will report the Conference and made known to them the nature of the British proposals. From this statement it is clear that the Government, though apparently they are resisted by the Admiralty, would like to abolish battleships. Anyhow, they will insist upon a considerable reduction of size and gun- power. They suggest provisionally that replacement be deferred from 1935 to 1936, that the size be reduced by at least ten thousand tons and that the guns be limited to twelve inches. The opinion of the Admiralty about battleships is naturally influenced by the opinion of its " opposite number " in Washington where a tonnage of roughly thirty thousand (instead of the present thirty-five thousand) is desired, but we are confident that in this case boldness is the true line of Safety: The sole function- of battleships is - to, fight battleships. If they were abolished no country would be in a more dangerous position than it is now.
