New-York tribune., 1921-11-15
No Bar ON Discussion Will
BE Included in Speech
of Balfour, Agreeing to
US. Naval Plan, To-day
Hope for Radical
Cut i'm Land Force
London Cheerful, Despite
Prospective Slump in
Shipbuilding Industry
By Arthur S. Draper


Copyright, 1921, New York Tribune Inc.
LONDON, Nov. 14.-When A. J. Bal
four as head of the British delegation
to the Washington conference presents
Great Britain's Endorsement of the
American naval reduction proposals to-
morrow he will not limit future dis
cussion of the triple naval alliance, it
was learned here to-day. His accept
ance, however, will amount to accept
ance of the American program as the
basis of negotiations.
This decision is the outcome of mes
sages which have been flying between
Washington and Downing Street, Lon
don, since Saturday, when Mr.. Hughes
made his epochal suggestion for the
scrapping of warships.
The British official world is greatly
pleased with developments at Wash
ington for various reasons, not the
least of which is that the acceptance of
the plan by the three great powers will
mean the automatic disappearance of
the bothersome AngI6-Japanese alli-
ance.
In certain quarters the hope is ex-
pressed that the American Administers
tion will have equally radical sugges-
tions regarding the limitation of land
ornaments.
British Industry Seriously Affected
Acceptance Of the naval proposal
will mean that large naval shipyards s
in Great Britain employing thousands
of workers will go out of commission,
and it also will hit hard several great
armament makers. These powerful
firms, of course, do not welcome the
proposals, but they are unable to offer
any serious opposition to the adoption
of the program.
Secretary Hughes's dramatic speech
the most open form of open diplom-
acy--is regarded here as a master
stroke. In a single address he has
struck at the very heart of the great
est political problem of the day, and
all the maneuvers to establish q bal
ance of power are sadly muddled as a
result Incidentally, he has relieved
the British of considerable embarrass-
ment.
Sir Percy Scott, who long has been
preaching against the battleship, said:
"The scrapping of battleships is no
reduction of ornaments, because bat
tleships are useless. 1t is merely a
form of economy"
W. L. Kitchens, chairman of the
shipbuilding firm of Cammell, Laird &
Co., said: "If all the world is pre-
pared to agree to a reduction of arma-
ments on fair basis we must get
busy and find other work of more
productive character to employ the
men who would be thrown out of work.
me that reduction of armaments is the
right policy to aim at"
Urges Farley Years Hence
Commander Carlton Bellairs, M. P,
naval critic, said: "The American pro-
posals are eminently practicable and
on entirely right lines. 1t would be
better, in my judgment, having regard
for the fact that the Japanese consider
their capital ships as being obsolete in
eight years, if the proposed naval holi-
a fresh disarmament conference could
be called before then"
These comments, representing the
views of a practical naval officer, an
influential shipbuilder and a naval
critic, are typical of dozens of others.
The unanimity with which the pub
+ lie indorses the Hughes plan is re-
markable, particularly when one ap-
preciates how unwilling the Britons
have been to consider any plan affecting
their navy. Two days after the open
ing of the conference the British are
still declaring Mr.. Hughes's speech as
sensational" British correspondents
CONTINUED on next pasey