Evening star., 1921-11-10
U. s. HAS PREPARED
DEFINITE PLAN FOR
NAVAL LIMITATION
Closely Guarded Formula Is
Plain Proposition of Basic
Questions.
OTHER NATIONS AWAIT
LEAD OF AMERICANS
Belief Held That American Pro.
gram Is Only One So Far
Arranged.
By the Associa ted Press.

s6SN'
By the Associated Press.
Proposals to be made by the Amer
lean delegation to the conference on
limitation OF armament apparently
constitute the only suggestion pre-
pared In advance as to ways and
means OF curtailing naval expendi-.
lures without sacrifice Of national Sc
curity. Great Britain is not known
to have worked out any formula:
Japan is awaiting the American sug-
gestion; France and Italy are more
concerned with land forces than
navies.
Two days before the conference
opens the American proposals re-
main closely guarded secret. 1t is
doubtful if any but President Hard
ing, the four American delegates, and
possibly, the highest officers and Of
ficials Of the Navy Department know
exactly what the proposals are.
This much is known: A definite
formula for agreement on limitation
of naval forces has been reached by
Secretary Hughes and his colleagues
of the American delegation. The for
mula is an entirely practical one.
1t does not attempt to state any gen.
eral rule for establishing equita bic
relativity Of naval forces between tn.
powers. 1t does not attempt to FIX
a common denonsinator by which all
navies could be divided and each
power assigned by agreement the
number Of units it could maintain
with world approval.
Plain, Practical Plan.
The American suggestion will deal
with things as they are. 1t will he
a plain proposition of ships-built,
building or authorized: of naval
bases: of the vital element of naval
requirements; of the potential naval
significance of merchant marines and
of other concrete. existing or planned
| weapons and auxiliaries of naval
! warfare. Also, il is regarded by those
who framed the suggestions as a bold
stroke for naval reduction. possibly
| too bold for immediate realiza ton.
Beyond this limited outline of what
; is going on behind the scenes. moth
ing has yet been available. Wash
ington is filled, however. with con-
lecture as to what the american dele
cation viii purpose. There are al
most as many theories there are
men TO talk about it. and their name
is legion. The explanation given by
Admiral Baron Kato. head of the
Japanese delegation of Japan's atti-
tude in entering the conference and
her willingness to cut down her naval
program under agreement. has added
to the speculation. Lacking the moy
ing factor in the coming delibera-
! tions. howeyer-the American pro
posals-it is difficult to say to what
; extent Admiral katoS uIterance has
cleared the ar.
kato Touches Vital Point.
! There is feeling in spme well in
formed circles that Baron Kafo
| touched the heart of the matter in
stating Japan's willingness to reduce
her now famous eight battleship and
eight battle cruiser feet program. To
| that sequence is to be added third
eight. as under Japanese standards
| of naval obsolescence a capital ship
has a frsf>line life of but eight years
| and must be replaced by a new ship
| within that period.
| The American Navy has no such
definite objective. 1t does not repre-
sent an ordered program of replace
ment for maintaining any fixed force
on fixed ratio of battleships and
/ battle cruisers.
! The old British two-power standard
| which governed the building program
prior to 1914 went by the board WITH
| the German fleet Britain is not today
| building any capital ships. Four new
battle cruisers have been authorized
Pin the way of replacements for war
losses and to balance that side Of the
, feet. but they have not been laid
down.
! The exact status of Japan's new
craft is not here. 1t is certain. how
ever. that Japan has not started con-
| struction on all the superwarshipS
her eigkt-and-eight program would
require. That fleet ratio, Baron kato
| said, would not be achieved before:
| 1928. j:
L. S. Program Slowed Down.
The American program of 1916. re-
affirmed by Congress in later years.
but deferred during the war and
greatly slowed down this year by lin
tied appropriations, is in much the
same status. 1t includes six battle
ships and six battle cruisers. Keels
| Of all have been laid. Actual work
on construction Of one battleship, the
Massachusetts. has been stationary at
about 4 per cent for several months.
Work on the other five ranges from
l1s to q per cent. On the battle
l
one at So per cent. one at 6.3 per
| cent, one at 1875 per cent. one at 49,
per cent and the nearest to compile
tion at 20 per cent finished. These
6Rures are for work on. the ships.
and do not include material ordered.
l. There is q growing belief that these
| figures may play an important part
| in the American reduction proposals.
| 1t is suggested that a cessation Of ma
val increases for a period OF years, per-
lhaps a decade, may be proposed. If
that should prove acceptable. 1t is
| said. il might be followed by propo-
| sails to cancel ships laid down on q
ship for-ship basis.
Question ship-fsr-ship Plan.
II is regarded as probable that Great
Britain would accept some such pro-
posal. affecting her four, authorized
battle cruisers. but even in the light
Of Admiral Kato's statement of ia
pans willingness to cut her program
1t is not clear how a ship-for-s ship
cancellation plan might be viewed by
her representatives. Each ship struck
Off the list would mean a heavier pro-
portionate reduction for japan, 1t il
said. than for Great Britain or the
United States.
In. any case, naval officers point
out, the question Of naval replace
ments must be dealt with and some
4 scheme eyeived under which naval
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