A.—7,

Article 8. Every vessel shall be rated at its standard displacement, as defined in Article 1a of the present Treaty. Article 9. No preparations shall be made in merchant ships in time of peace for the installation of warlike armaments for the purpose of converting such ships into vessels of war, other than the necessary stiffening of decks for the mounting of guns not exceeding 61 in. (155 mm.) in calibre. Article 10. Vessels which were laid down before the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty, the standard displacement or armament of which exceeds the limitations or restrictions prescribed in this Part of the present Treaty for their category or sub-category, or vessels which before that date were converted to target use exclusively or retained exclusively for experimental or training purposes under the provisions of previous treaties, shall retain the category or designation which applied to them before the said date. PART 111. ADVANCE NOTIFICATION AND EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION. Article 11. (1) Each of the High Contracting Parties shall communicate every year to each of the other High Contracting Parties information, as hereinafter provided, regarding His annual programme for the construction and acquisition of all vessels of the categories and sub-categories mentioned in Article 12 (a), whether or not the vessels concerned are constructed within His own jurisdiction, and periodical information giving details of such vessels and of any alterations to vessels of the said categories or sub-categories already completed. (2) For the purposes of this and the succeeding Parts of the present Treaty, information shall be deemed to have reached a High Contracting Party on the date upon which such information is communicated to His Diplomatic Representatives accredited to the High Contracting Party by whom the information is given. (3) This information shall be treated as confidential until published by the High Contracting Party supplying it. Article 12. The information to be furnished under the preceding Article in respect of vessels constructed by or for a High Contracting Party shall be given as follows; and so as to reach all the other High Contracting Parties within the periods or at the times mentioned:— (a) Within the first four months of each calendar year, the Annual Programme of construction of all vessels of the following categories and sub-categories, stating number of vessels of each category or sub-category, and, for each vessel, the calibre of the largest gun. The categories and sub-categories in question are — Capital ships— sub-category (a) sub-category (b) Aircraft-carriers — sub-category (a) sub-category (b) Light surface vessels — sub-category (a) sub-category (b) sub-category (c) Submarines.

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