New-York tribune., 1920-11-10
but
Save Treaty..
Says Europe
Willing g to Call the League
an Association or Con-
ference of Nations as
Suggested by Harding
By Carter Field

WASHINGTON. Nov. 9.-Europe is
willing to call the League of Nations an
association" the word used by Senator
Harding, or, for that matter, "con-
ference" of nations. She is willing to
eliminate Article X, and to rewrite the
league covenant from the title to the
final period, but she is not willing to
scrap the whole idea and start afresh,
az has been proposed by Mr.. Harding.
No government, either in Britain or
France, would dare go to a referendum
on the question of starting over again.
This is the essence of information
from London and Paris which is being
sent officially to leaders of the
Republican party here, in New York
and elsewhere. Details as to this in
formation were given The Tribune cor
respondent to-day by sources Of un-
questioned accuracy.
There are represented to be several
strong reasons for this attitude on the
part Of the European governments. One
is that the Allies do not wish to take up
the whole treaty situation with Ger
many. They think it would be almost
impossible to obtain signature from
whomever might be in power in Ger
many to new proposition. This point,
OF course, only affects the parts of the
treaty outside Of the league covenant.
Labor Situation Delicate
into t-;< !
covenant that the European powers,
particularly Britain and France. are
anxious to avoid new negotiations. A
surprise to leaders in this country in
the last few days is that the British h
and French governments are more fear
ful OF attempting to rewrite or change
the labor sections of the Versailles
treaty than any other part.
1t seems that the labor elements of
both countries, and the entire strength
or the Socialist groups, are tremcn-
dously in favor Of these labor sections.
Indeed, 1T is asserted that labor in Ger
many IS just as strongly In favor of
them, and would oppose any revision.
Broadly, these labor sections Of the
treaty would permit the commercial
isolation Of any country which ex-
plotted its labor by permitting longer
hours than agreed upon for men,
women or children, or permitted women
and children to work under conditions
held to be against public policy by the
international labor conference set up
by these sections Of the treaty.
The interest Of European labor, and
particularly British labor, in. the en-
forcement of these labor provisions is
TAR from pnilanthropc. 1t would mean
protcction, especially OF the British
worker, Britain being on practically q
free trade basis, from competition with
exploited labor. The question of wages
paid in such countries as Japan does
not interest the British worker half so
much, it is said, rs the fact that the
japanese is willing to work all kinds
Of hours, and to have his wife, mother,
sister and children work any number
OF hours. The British worker has come
to the conclusion that he is willing to
stack up his product in almost any
line against that of two japanese work
ers employed the same number of
hours.
British Labor More Efficient
IN this connection it may be inter
esting to set forth in line the results
of an investigation of labor costs in q
certain war product where the pay Of
the Japanese workers was exactly one
half OF what was paid the British
workers, the cost Of the raw materials
being about the same. The ratio was
100 to 112, SO that the British workers
almost made up iii efficiency for the
lower wages paid the Japanese. In
this instance, however, the number Of
hours d day was the same for both
races.
Labor leaders Of Europe are familiar
iContnusi eaue fhresl