Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-11-25
WASHINGTON
DAY BY DAY
(From Our Special Correspondent

(From Our Special Correspondent
Washington, Nov. 25.-Official and
diplomatic Washington have scarcely
recovered from the lambasting hand
ed M. BRAND, the French Premier
by Fl. G. Wells, the noted English
author and correspondent after
BRAND had made his speech on Mon
day last before the plenary session
of the arms conference. But today,
the reason for the attack upon
BRAND by Wells leaked out. It was
all due to a French Mile, who had
been sent to the conference to cover
the speech of BRAND for. press as
sociation. The French Miss pre-
emted the seat assigned to Wells in
the press section and despite vigor-
Gus protests and remonstrances, she
would not surrender it. Wells final
ly had to take a seat in a far off
corner of the section reserved for
newspaper men much to his disgust
but not to the Inconvenience Of the
female reporter. They are saying in
Washington today that this is why
Wells launched such bitter attack
upon the noted French statesman in
his dispatches telling about the
Frenchman's speech.
While the naval experts in the linn
itation of arms conference are ex-
am;ning the six distinct counter pro-
posals made by the Japanese dele
gates in all Of which the claim is
advanced by Japan for a navy 70
per cent. as large as that of the
United States, new difficulties are
arising on the naval horizon in the
shape of rival claims by France and
Italy for the control of the Mediter-
ranean.
From well authenticated Italian
sources it is learned that 1taly's del
egates have been instructed to insist
on a navy for Italy equal in every
respect to that of any Mediterran-
can power. Japan, Great Britain
and the United States are not re-
garded as Mediterranean powers,
even though their flags fly there
permanently or temporarily.
1t is understood that tentative
agreement has been reached by the
Big Three of the conference to per-
nit Japan to retain the battleship
Mutsu. The conditions of the agree
ment that Japan is to scrap one of
the older ships allowed her by the
Hughes plan, probably the kongo,
while the United States is to retain
the Colorado and scrap the Della
ware or North Dakota. Just how the
arrangement affects Great Britain is
not known.
This, it is pointed OUT will give
Japan a slightly higher ratio of cap
ital ship tonnage than was proposed
in the Hughes plan, but the differ
ence in the tonnage of the Mutsu and
the Kongo. The Japanese contend
ed that the Mutsu is popular idol
in Japan and that the scrapping Of
the ship would be a most unpopular
act and would create bad feeling
among the people of the. nation.
The problem Of eliminating vi
per" weapons of warfare, subma-
rines poison gas and liquid fire, is
receiving the earnest attention Of
three subcommittee of the Amerl-
can Advisory Committee of 21 which
will report to the American delega--
tion at the earliest possible moment
recommendations for curblng or
eliminating such terrible methods OF
warfare. These committees have
been asked to make reports to the
American delegation early next week
and are now busy gathering facts
and information on which their re-
ports will be based. There is no
doubt but that there will be strong
recommendation for the elimination
of chemical warfare and the bomb
ing of cities and there is no question
but that public sentiment will be
reported to be at fever heat against
these weapons. But as to whether
elimination of submarines will be
recommended is a serious question.
Reports from Tokyo, partly verl-
fled in the japanese delegation
here, give reassuring reports from
Japan has adopted a program Of ac-
tion for the conference that will DO
much to clear away the obstacles
that have been created both on liml-
tation of naval armamentS ana on
the Pacific anl Far Eastern qucs-
lions.
These reports are that the diplo-
matte advisory council of Japan has
ratified program of japanese &C.
ton in the conference and has trans.
mitted to the japanese delegation
here instructions in accordance with
the program. These reports are
that the government of Japan is in
clined to submit to the Hughes 5-5-3
ration of naval armament because OF
the realization that disturbances OF
the Hughes plan would make neees-
sary changes along the. line. The
report is an indication that Japan Is
willing to make concessions IN order
that the present conference may be
success and it is contrary to the
L Il i