Evening star., 1921-12-31
BY LEROY r. VERNON.

The achievements of the Washington
conference on limitation of armament
can now be forecast with reasonable GER
tainty as result of the proceedings of
the committee on armament yesterday.
The results accomplished are:
The United States, Great Britain,
Japan, France and Italy, the five lead
ing naval powers of the world. have
agreed on a capital ship ratio of
5-5-3.1.67-1.67, which shall remain
in force for tea years under the terms of
a treaty now in process of formation
They will scrap nearly 100000 tons
of capital ships built and building, and
they will agree on a replacement pro-
gram, which. with the exception of two
new capital ships to be built by Britain
and permission to France to begin build
ing at the end of five years. will amount
to capital ship building holiday of ten
years.
No Submarine Agreement.
No agreement will be reached at the
present conference limiting the number
of submarines or auxiliary ships which
any nation may build. but restrictions
on the use of submarines will be agreed
upon prohibiting their use against mer-
chant vessels except under the recogn-
ized rules of international law. An
amendment to international law will
also be adopted providing that SUBJ
marines shall not be used against mer-
chant vessels at all, effective when ad-
hered to by all nations. but binding at
once on the signatory powers.
Auxiliary vessels of all kinds. in
Guiding submarines. will be limited
to 10000 tons in size and shall not
oh thar
Capital ships built 'as requirements
shall not exceed $4,000 tons in size
nor carry guns larger than 16-lnch
caliber.
Afrplane Carriers Limited.
Airplane carriers shall not exceed
$1,000 tons in size, shall not carry
guns larger than eight inches, and
Great Britain and the United States
will have five of these ships to three
for Japan and $4,000 tons each for
France and Italy, under which they
may build two or three vessels each
by reducing their tonnage proper
tionately.
The conference has reached no
agreement on land armaments. but
the fact has been developed that
Britain and the United States have
reduced their armies practically to
pre-war strength; that the ltallan
army has been reduced to 2OO,oOO
men and will be further reduced as
political conditions change: that
France, while maintaining the larg-
est standing army in Europe pro-
poses to reduce its electives next
year by a change in its compulsory
service law and will make further
reductions in accordance with politi-
cal conditions in Europe. and that
japan also contempiates a reduction
in it's standing army next year OF
one-sXth.
StfIl mt Work on Gases.
Subcommittee are still at work on
the subject of the limitation OF the
use of poisonous gases and new weap-
ons of warfare
The details of replacements, scrap
ping of ships and the definition of
standard ton for naval vessels remain
to be agreed upon.
The final form of the resolutions
defining unrestricted submarine war
fare against merchantmen as piracy
and prohibiting such warfare re-
main to be agreed to in final FORM.
Whether armed merchantmen are
to he dealt with by the conference is
still under discussion. Likewise a
provision prohibiting or restricting
the building of capital ships by con-
tract for nations other than the sig
natory powers and their purchase
from other nations by the signatory
powers is also a detail under con-
Sideration.
Aside from the naval agreement
there has come out of the conference
the famous four-powers pact in the
Pacific. made possible by the naval
agreement, thereby. upon ratification,
eliminating the Anglo-Japanese treaty
and it's menace against the United
States.
Far East Questions Remain.
There remains yet to be disposed of
the far eastern questions, including
the Shantung. Chinese Eastern rail-
road, Manchurian and Siberian issues.
A deadlock having resulted on Shan
tung between China and Japan,
Messrs. Hughes and Balfour are ex-
pected to begin mediation between
them at once The Siberian problem
is expected to be shelved by an agree
ment on the part of Japan to with
draw her troops from that territory
upon the establishment of stable
government. The Manchurian and
Eastern Chinese railway problems