The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-11-10
Much Speculation AS To
What American Pro-
gram Is-Naval Reduc-
ton Believed To Be the
Main Thing Attempted
With Some Hopes of
Success

Washington, Nov. 1O-(By the AS
sociated Pressl-Proposals to be
made by the American delegation to
the conference on limitation of arma-
ment apparently constitute the only
| suggestion prepared in advance as to
ways and means of curtailing naval
expenditures without sacrifice of ma
tional security. Great Britain is not
known to have worked out any formu-
la Japan is awaiting the American
suggestion; France and Italy are
more concerned with land forces than
naveS.
Two days before the conference op-
ems the American proposals remain
! a closely guarded secret 1t is doubt
full if any but President Harding, the
four American delegates, and possibly
the highest officers and officials 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 delega-
ton. The formula is an entirely prac-
-lcal one. 1t does not attempt to state
any general rule for establishing
equitable relatively of naval forces be-
tween the powers. 1t does not at
.empt to fix common denominator
by which all navies could be devided
md each power assigned by agree
ment the number of units it could
maintain with world approval.
Plain Proposition
The American suggestion will deal
with things as they are 1t will be
4 plain proposition of ships-built,
building or authorized; of naval bas.
es OF the vital element OF naval re-
placements; Of the potential naval
significance of merchant marines and
of other concrete, existing or planned
weapons and auxiliaries of naval war.-
fare Also it is regarded by those
who framed the suggestions as a bold
stroke for naval reduction; possibly
100 bold for immediate realization.
Beyond this limited outline of what
is going on behind the scenes, moth
ing has yet been available. Washing
'on is filled, however, with conjecture
rs to what the American delegation
will propose. There are almost as
many theories as there are men to
H.
rhe statement given by Admiral Ba-
ron kato, head of the Japanese dele
cation, of Japan's attitude in enter.
ing the conference. and her willing
ness to cut down her naval program
lnder agreement. is added to the
speculation. Lacking the moving fac
or in the coming deliberations. how
2ver,-the American proposals-it is
tifticult to say to what extent Ad-
miral Katos utterance has cleared
The air.
Japan Seems Willing
There is feeling in some well in
formed circles that Baron Kato
louched the heart of the matter in
stating Japan's willingness to reduce
her now-famous eight battleship and
eight battle cruiser fleet program. To
that sequence is to be added a third
eight, as under Japanese standards of
naval obSolescene, capital ship has
a first line life of only 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
or fixed ratio of battleShips and bat
tie cruisers.
The old British two-power standard
which governed the building program
prior to 1914 went by the board with
the German fleet Great Britain is
not today building any capital ships.
Four new battle cruisers have been
authorized in the way of replace
ments for war losses and to balance
that side of the fleet, but they have
not been laid down.
The exact status of Japan's new
craft is not known here. 1t is certain,
however, that Japan has not started
construction on all the super-warships
her eight-and-eight program would re-
quire.
That fleet ratio, Baron Kato said,
would not be achieved before 1928.
American Naval Program
The American program of 1916, re-
affirmed by congress in later years,
but deferred during the war and
greatly slowed down this year by
limited appropriations, is in much the
same status. II includes six battle
ships and six battle cruisers. Keels
OF all have been laid. Actual work
of construction of one battleship, the
Massachusetts,, has been stationary at
about four per cent for several
months. Work on the other five
ranges from 10 to % per cent On the
battle cruisers, one is placed at IL
per cent, one at So per cent, one at
6.3 per cent, one at 1876 per cent;
one at 16.5 per cent and the nearest
to completion at 20 per cent
These figures are for work on the
ships and do not include material or
dered.
There is growing belief that these