The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-27
MAY LEAVE
To PARLEY
OF FUTURE
French and japanese OPP
position Is Barrier to
Settlement.

Washington. Dec. 81. - tBy the
Associated Press.1 - Suggestions
that the whole submarine problem
be left to future world confer
ence gained increasing prominence
today while the delegates to tho
| Washington armament conference
waited for formal replies from
France and Japan to the American
compromise proposal for submarine
7 limitation
No determination was prepared
openly to advocate postponement
of the problem and outwardIy all
delegation spokesmen held to the
customary diplomatic attitude of
optimism over the prospects for
ultimate agreement.
Privately, however, more than
one delegate conceded that the
French and japanese opposition to
the compromise proposal cousti-
tuted a discouraging barrier to the
progress OF the submarine neg0ti-
ations.
Reject L. S. Plan.
Pending action by the French
cabinet at its meeting today. the
French delegates here remained
confident that their refusal To aC-
cept the new American figures
would be upheld by their govern
ment The Japanese too, expected
Toxic to insist that the American
plan was unacceptable.
There was no meeting today of
the conference naval committee
and activities of the conference
were confined to informal consul
tations among various groups OF
delegates and to efforts of the ma
val experts to clarity the discus
sions by laying out more definite
technical basis of compromise To
guide the plenipotentiarie in their
future negotiations.
President Harding is understood
to regard the proposal for future
world conference on submarines as
fitting in with his plan for con-
tinuing series of meetings to dis
cuss international questions. OH
cials close to him said today that
he would be greatly disappointed
if some plans for future confer
Washington negotiations end.
In official quarters the CONVERSE
tions relating to the project were
described today as utterly intOT-
nal at the present time although
they might take the form OF a deiin-
ite proposal in the very near future.
Naval Meeting Postponed.
Washington Dec 27.-Cby the
Associated Press. Failure of the
French delegates to the receive the
formal decision Of their government
on the American compromise IFo-
posal for limitation OF submarine
strength. had caused postpone
ment of the meeting of the arms
conference naval committee, sChed-
uIed for today, until tomorrow. IL
was believed that the japanese also
might be await ting further instruc-
tions from their government bear
ing on the American proposal.
There was 10 Indication here
whatever. that the French were
prepared to cut their suggested
ugure OF 10000 tons in submarines
Tor France to the y. 900 ton figure
under the American plan, or thaJ
the japanese intended to receda
from their nat refusal 70 accept the
plan. AID chances taat the outlook
Tor an agreement would undergo
any prUVemenJ before the meet
ing tomorrow appeared slight
Both the Americans ard British
are understood TO feel at the same
time that III Offering to scale down
their submarine strength To $1,000
tons each each they have made
maximum concession in the inter
est OF an agreement.