New-York tribune., 1921-12-01
British Stand
Solidly Behind
Hugghes's Plan
Japanese, in Plea for Reduc-
ton of Navy on Basis of
lO-lO-7 Ratio, Found To
Be Arguing by Selves
Alliance of Aid to u. S.
Nippon Also Discovers the
Pact With London Works
Out on Side of America
By Boyden Sparkes

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3O.-Japan has
found at the Washington conference
that the Anglo-Japanese Treaty has had
the paradoxical effect of placing Great
Britain on the side of the United States
and against Japan on the principal
questions up for discussion.
Great Britain has stood and is stand
ing solidly with the United States on
! the 55-3 naval ratio. If any as
surances were necessary to support
the words of British diplomats they
were furnished by the pointed utter
ances of Admiral Beatty, who pro-
nounced the American proposals to be
more than fair to Japan. It was Lord
Beatty, of course, who supervised the
work Of the British naval experts in
trusted with the task of examining the
American tables to see if they con-
formed with the facts.
Now that Japan's insistence on re-
duction program on a 10f0-7 IA
ito is being made on the plea that
the basis of existing strength should
not include ships under construction
they are arguing alone. The opinion of
the British experts and the British
diplomats is solidly fused with the view
of the American delegates, and that is
that ship partially built represents
naval strength to the extent that it is
completed.
Japanese Argument Untenable
If the Japanese logic is weak no such
adjective may be used to describe the
Nipponese desire to convince the Brit
ish that a 5-5-3 ratio is entire
ly unsatisfactory to both partners in
the Anglo-Japanese alliance. But the
very fact that Great Britain is part
ner in that alliance gives her opposi-
tion to Japanese contentious much
greater weight than if the alliance did
not exist
An American spokesman summed up
the British view, as we'll as the Ameri-
can, to-day when he said: of the $685.
100000 that the, United States has in
vested in partly finished capital ships
does not represent naval strength.
what are we giving up?" Japan's in
vestment in unfinished shipping is q
great deal less than the sum repre-
sented by the unfinished shipping
which the United States has proposed
to scrap.
When Japan presented her argument
against including ships not actually in
commission before the committee on
reduction of naval armament the reply
of the British member was, in effect it
is said, "Jolly rot" Of course, they
don't speak to each other that way
over the council table. Nevertheless,
the American view was laid down in
| words almost as terse. These set forth
that the Japanese argument is unten-
able
Maneuver to Save Mutsu
The British, quite as we'll as the
American delegates and naval experts,
understand perfectly that Japan's in
s.stence on 10-10-7 ratio is ma
neuver designed to save the post-Jut-
land Mutsu. 1t was Briton who re-
Gently employed chess terms in order
to make clear the utter futility of 60
ing ahead with the Hughes program if
Japan was to be allowed to keep the
Mutsu.
"Post-Jutland ships are to modern
navies what the queen is to a set of
chessmen. Japan, in fighting for the
CONTINUED on next paas)