Great Falls tribune., 1921-12-25
AMERICAN Plan SET
$4,000 TONS AS BIG
TWO U-b0A1 Limit
Japanese Insist on Retention Of Their 81 600
Tons and Italy Declares Unwillingness to Re-
duce to 81 900 Unless France Accepts Same
Ratio; Offer Meant Scraping Third y. S. Subs.

duce to 5l,UUU Onle
Ratio; Offer Meant S
Washington, Dec. 24.-(B
American effort to comprom
failed of immediate, success
ference naval committee VIII
suggested reduction of her 81
French action was deferred p
When the committee adjo
to meet again next Tuesday,
group appeared discouraged Q
agreement on submarines altho
The American compromise plan,
presented after the British effort for
complete suppression of submarines
had been shelved, proposed 10000 tor
limitations for Great Britain and the
United States instead of the original
figure of 10000 tons each and virtual
ly status quo for the other three
powers.
British Accept Compromise
The British delegation, failing to
obtain favorable action on suppression
of submarines, accepted the new re-
duction scheme. The French group in
dicated that it would be unacceptable,
but deferred full answer pending
Paris advices. Japan flatly held out
for the full $1,000 tons in submarines
under the original ''5-5-3" ratio plan.
Italy accepted the compromise plan,
conditioned on a submarine tonnage
parity with France, the Italian dele
gates contending that 1850 tons
would be the correct limitation for
both France and Italy 4.>aSss
The French delegation Indicated
that it would not oppose parity with
Italy in submarines as well as capital
ships, but withheld approval of any
tonnage limitation of less than the
10000 ton figure suggested by French
experts. Under a status quo, France
would have about 1900 tons in sub
mersibles.
u. S. vii! Propose Condemning
"Piracy"
The American group made it plain
that while it had great sympathy for
the British viewpoint in opposing all
submarine warfare, it was inclined to
agree with the American advisory
committee that submarines were le-
gitimate weapon. It was said the
matter hads been discussed with Pres
ident Harding and that the willing
ness of the American government to
proceed at some future date toward
an international discussion of subma-
rine warfare on a wider basis than
the present conference had been indi-
Gated.
ok taI fho&
American delegation would bring into
the conference later resolution con-
demning in formal fashion for the five
powers such use of submarines as was
made by Germany during the world
war.
BaIfour Puts Abolition Plea on Rec
ord
Before the British proposal was
shelved, which was done tacitly and
without comment or formal action.
Arthur J: Ralfour made final plea
for the British case against under
water craft. At the same time he
placed formally on the records of the
conference a concise statement of
British views on this point and urged
that world conference be called later
again to take up the question.
To induce agreement. the American
delegation again offered. as in the cap
ital ship proposal. to make the great
est sacrifice in tonnage. American
figures show present submarine
strength of 95,0OO tons for the Unit
ed States and $1,000 tons for Great
Britain. Under the compromise plan
the United States would scrap $4,000
tons and the British $4,000.
The effect of the American-British
agreement. had it been ratified by the
other three powers. would have been a
net reduction of nearly 10000 tons in
the worlds submarine tonnage
The American compromise pi;n ap-
peared to have been aimed at meeting
half way the desires of each power in
submarine tonnage limitation 1t was
an attempt to solve the controversy
that had arisen in the naval committee
with Great Britain and France in
direct opposition and MS far apart as
the poles in their views as to the i'm
portnnce of submarines in warfare.
Japan lniects New Element
The British desire to reduce sub
marine tonnage would have been met
in large degree on the one hand under
the American plan. while on the other
the French desire to increase subma-
rine tonnage and the French submarine
ratio as compared to Great Britain and
America, also would have been met in
approximately the same degree.
Action of Japan in refusing to
swerve from che line Of the 5-J-3 ratio,
injected a wholly new element into the
controversy and with an ultimate
French decision on the compromise
proposal constitutes the point of de-
parture for the resumption OF negotia-
tions on Tuesday.
American Plan in Concrete
Under the American compromise
plan, the submarine ratio would be,
in round figures, Great Britain. s.:
United States, 9; France. 4; Japan, 3:
and ltah. 2. The italian proposal for
parity with France ut 31,5oO tons
would change this to approximately
a 6-6-3-3-3 distribution, while if the
Japanese built up from their present
to 5A.0OO tons as they suggest,
they would shave almost an eqaality
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