The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-11-14

| CBy Associated Press1
| WASHINGTON. Nov. 14-While
naval experts of the foreign powers
| today continued to examine the Amer
| lean proposals for limitation of naval
armament, heads of the American,
British, japanese, French, and Italian
! delegations, conferred to map out a
! plan of procedure to expedite consid-
| Grafton of the whole armament queS-
| ton.
| American officials emphasized that
! the plan presented to the conference
| Saturday by Secretary Hughes was
| purely an American proposal, and that
advance knowledge of it had been kept
| carefully from all the representatives
| of the other powers.
| Although it had become known that
some far-reaching plan would be pre-
| sented early in the conference, it was
| declared that no details, either as to
] the basis of the proposal or the exact
! time of its presentation were permit
! ted to reach any of the other dele
gates
| In consequence it was assumed that
several days would be required for
/ the naval advisers of Great Britain
| and Japan the powers, chiefly con-
cerned, to prepare any estimate of the
acceptability of the American propos-
ais. 1t was indicated that today's
meeting of the five heads of dele
cations was not for the purpose of
actually considering the plan, but
rather was devoted to more or less
routine discussion of the method of
! procedure.
Praise Action
! At the state department there was
every indication today that the public
reaction from this governments first
! bold step in the conference had been
entirely re-aSsuring.
| Messages of praise and approval
came to Secretary Hughes office by
thousands, and the White House like
wise was deluged with congratulatory
| expressions on the opening of the
conference.
A synopsis of the proposal for arma-
ment reduction has been sent to
American diplomatic and consular
agents throughout the world for such
use as they may deem expedient.
1t was explained that this step was
another part of the effort of the
American government to give the ne
gotiations the widest possible public
ity.
Two Meetings Today.
For the purpose of arranging prelim
mary details, two important meetings
were to be held during the day-one
this morning to discuss the program
of armament negotiations, the Other
this afternoon to shape up procedure
for the forthcoming discussions of fal
eastern questions.
Heads of the American. British
French. Italian and Japanese delega
i tions, as members of the committee or
!. programs and procedure for limitation
of armaments, were to be particip
ants in the morning meeting while
heads of the delegation of all nine ma
tions represented at the conference
are members of the committee on pro
gram and procedure for far eastern
: questions, which meets in the after
noon.
A meeting of the American advisor,
committee of 21 also had been called
for this afternoon at which Chairman
Sutherland was to announce the pei
sonnel of the six subcommittee al
, ready authorized to handle specia
/ subjects before the conference.
Preliminary to further conference
! SoSoIOuS, utlcSdlcS lOudy COulIHuct
their study of Secretary Hughes pre-
posal for the immediate reduction o
the British and United States and Jap
anese fleets, and for a 10 year nava
: holiday.
U. S. Encouraged
While spokesmen for Great Britain
and Japan continued to confine them
selves to guarded comment, the Ameri
can delegation was encouraged by tn
attitude of the representative of tn
other two powers affected by the pre-
posal, and were confident that ther
> was at least no possibility of flat re
lection of the plan and that it woul
form the basis of whatever agreemen
| is reached.
/ Naval officers in discussing the Pre-
posal emphasized as an outstandin
feature the fact that the United State
would be left without battle cruisers
while Japan and Great Britain woul
each retain four of these ships, tn
? newest addition to capital fightin
2 craft.
By suggesting such program it al
pears that the United States sough
> to convey concrete assurance of tn
5 unselfish purposes with which it ha
: entered the conference, as declared b
e President Harding in his opening at
: dress.