Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-11-19

and in the United States army from
1873 To 1889. t
means not cessation Of competition in
capital ships. but disguised continu-
II the naval race Is to stop II should
stop.
II you don't stop sometime you viii
stop no time. Is the way the Ameri-
cans see II. And. regarding the five
iive-threc ratio as fair, the United
States delegates hold that il does not
mean stopping naval competition TO
he trying 10 get n little more than the
ratio existing on the day II was pro-
posed to call halt.
The American delegation believes
that the relative provisions for auxil-
larry ships is'a proper field for discus
sion. This means that the Japanese
plea for more small ships would cone
up FOR consideration at the same time
as similar suggestions by the British
and French and Italian delegations.
However. II IL not To be expected that
the Americans or the British will be
able to see I'm the geographical position
Of Japan justification for a request
Tor as many smaller craft as are allot-
ted 20 Great Britain and America,
though such was the indication Adj
miral Kato gave % japanese inten-
tions.
I; Is the major premises OF the
hughes program that the building Of
capital ships. big fighting ships. rep
I a. o,I T., "a
/ II this ~ace is stopped the argument
over subsidiary craft Is rot vital, BIT
because the Americans attach primary
Importance to capital ships, they Dc
10, look kindly uron the Japanese
movement against what they regard
as the basic and fair ratio.
q is understood hat in the careful
preparation of the Hughes plan it was
/ fclt that the ratio, allotted TO the thre,
nations. was ample for defense, this
/ including Japan. On the ground tAat
the naval question is that the competi-
ton shoulS stop where 1t stcod or
Nov. -. or continues unhampered, tn,
American delegation frankly believes
that the Japanese suggestion Is a stel
In the wrong direction.
1.-The American figures are wrong an,
that her naval strength was reall'
greater than Mr.. Hughes calculated
the question is put in somewha
different manner. But up to the pres
ent the Americans stand on their cal
culation
\. or course the Americans do not tai.
the stand that the five-flve-three rafi
is a take IL or leave IL proposition
but they regard 10 as the fair basi.
II II is permitted for one nation con
cerned 10 go ahead Of its proportion
there IS no rule OF right or reason {
bar another nation from seeking
morN advantageous position. Thus III
conference would get on path tina
would lead away from a definite con
! clusion Of basis of fixed strength fo
the countries concerned.
Naturally. the japanese proposal ha
;. not reached the stage where IL is he
ing officially discussed, but there /
every Indication that the Japanese ex
! pect 10 push II as hard as they can
and there Is likewise every indication
that az no stage of the proceeding
2 will the Americans make any bone
about their opposition to an over
turning Of the proposed capital shi
ratio in favor OF Japan. or any othe
7 country.
The American attitude does not i'm
ply definite answer 10 any proposal
for alteration In the schedule of aux
HAIRY craft. IL is perhaps. a source o
substitution to the authors of tn
] Mo ~. k.f l.,
conditions come from many sides, 70
The more exceptions that are aske
for the stronger will appear the wis
dom OF sticking to the original plar
But the American program will b
shaped by the primary consideratio
I that capital ship tonnage is the i'm
| pCrtant thing and that conclusiv
evidence (evidence which the Amer
| cans doubt exists must be presente
~ Justify a change in the ratio.
The experts have not vet considere
the japanese proposals. But in .Britis
circles distinct disapproval of it coul
be felt The British. in accepting th
ratio OF ive-sive-t three, have a distin,
: interest in seeing that no other countr
Increases it's ratio. The importanr
Britsin attaches 10 the smaller flee'
Il shown by her ins.stence that thel
q be limita; ton placed on the nav;
forces OF France and Italy.
4 Despite the talk in japanese qual
= ters that IL can be shown that tn
Japanese feet was larger than NJ
Hughes calculated and their insistenC
that he erred in CHASING the Mats
OF $4,000 tons as a launched shi
whereas Ii was in commission on ~
vcmbcr u. II is noted that in al
nounslng the Japanese requests for
! larger ratio yesterday Admiral Ka
= referred TO her geographical situate
as the sole reason for asking increas,
2 capital ship tonnage.
I II Is presumed that the Americ:
determination 20 OPPOSE the reques
II based upon the ground that ge
sraphicaf position does no. constitu
a sufficien. plea for overturning t
ratio laid down.