New-York tribune., 1920-12-29
Britain Would
Support U.S.in
Disarmament
Awaits Suggestion From
Washington for Confer
ence, to Include Japan, ON
Naval Holiday Program
Press acknowledgement
Widespread Unemployment
and Trade Slump Cause
of Worry in London
By Arthur S. Draper

FROM The Tribunc's Euro2cor B,reo,,
Copyright. 1920. New York Tribune Inc
LONDON, Dec 2S.-Tha British oo,.
ernment would support any suggestion
emanat;ng from the United States look
Ing toward a world conference on linn
ltatlon of armaments. No official in
tlmation has been received in Downino
Htreet OF Secretary Danels's declara-
ton IN favor of such a gathering. and
as the Wilson Administration is nearly
at an end it is probable that the Ilovd
george government will make no Off
clal move until esident-elect Har-
ding goes into the White House.
The newspapers, without execution,
are continuing their .lamor for naval
holiday declared by Japan, Great Brit
ain and the United States. As the agi-
tatlon grows it becomes clearer thar
the British care less about their treaty
OF alliance with Japan than thew do
ABOUT the maintenance of good rela-
tlons with America The newspapers
OF all shades of opinion contain ex-
pressions Of good will toward America
and some of them even saw frankly
that they would side with the United
States If the latter clashed with Japan.
Unemployment Spurs Agitation
Reasons for this sudden burst of ex-
cltement over the quest on of disarma-
ment are not hard to find. The wide
spread unemployment here and the con-
sequent hardships entailed are enough
OF burden to the country w thout the
added possibility of having to launch a
new naval building program. Premier
Lloyd George stayed in London over the
CHRISTMAS holidays, holding several
conferences with labor leaders on the
unemployment problem. On Chr stmas
Day he met q delegate from the en-
ployers and another from the workers.
Tomorrow more than thousand labor
leaders will meet here to consider the
governments insistent proposal that
former serv &C men be allowed &c ac-
cept employment in the building trades.
The unions have been steadily opposing
this method of giving employment to
idle men.
The whole question of unemploy-
HiCiI iclHdlHo uHStlllcu ana II grows
more difficult of solution every dav.
The Evening Standard says:
Says u. S. Might Bankrupt World
at might be w thin the power of
America to bankrupt the rest of the
world by setting the pace in an arma-
ments competition, but it could not
conceivably be in her interests. The
Secretary Of the Treasury has 20 nted
out the vital necessity of national
economy. The unemployment problem
in the United States is great and the
restoration of credit and of the pur-
chas ng power Of the worlds civilized
is as essential to America
as it is to ourselves.
"A new armaments race might give
the final push to send the structure of
international credit down in ruins, and
with it all the slow reconstruction of
trade that has so far been
achieved S nee the war
Big business interests are taking
gloomy view Of prospects for the new
year. There has been slump in trade
all over the country and. whatever
measures the government takes to re-
duce unemployment, the New Year will