New-York tribune., 1921-12-24
Balfour Argues Insist
ence OH This Demand
Would Mean Continued
Tax for Land Defense
Issue May Go to
Conference Session
Allusion Made 10 BRAND
Hint That Army Is All
He Desired Kept Up

From The TribWes Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Dec 23.-France to-
day laid before the Naval Committee of
the Conference on the Limitation of
Armament demand that it be allowed
10000 tons of submarines. This is the
same submarine tonnage allowed under
the Hughes program to the United
States and Great Britain and is far in
excess of the proportion which would
be allowed a nation possessing the
capital ship tonnage allotted to France
The French demand met with the
prompt response by the representative
Of Great Britain, Arthur J. Balfour,
that such concession to her neighbor
across the channel automatically would
imply that Great Britain would be
given free hand in turning out all
means necessary to deal with a pos
sible submarine menace.
While admitting that the result of
the French demand would in no way af
feet the international agreement on
capital ships, a member of the British
delegation pointed out that even with
the elimination of construction of ships
of the line, the reflex upon taxpayers
in both England and France would be
tremendous.
While admitting that the results of
that possibility would in no way affect
the international agreement on capital
ships, a member of the British dele
CATION pointed out that even with the
elimination of construction of ships of
the line, the reflex upon taxpayers in
both England and France would be tre-
mendous.
The attitude of the British on the
submarine question was given added
emphasis this afternoon by a three
sided discussion between Mr.. Balfour.
head of the British delegations; Senator
Schanzer, head of the Italian delega-
tion, and Admiral De Bon, of France.
Senator Schanzer asserted that the
! question should be discussed later in
"wider conference" before the Brit
! ish demand that submarines be abol-
! ished is accepted "The best course, -
he added, "would be to follow even in
this case the spirit of the American
proposal and consequently to limit
submarines to the measure strictly
necessary for the ends of purely de-
! fenslve naval policy"
Would Keep Tax Burden
4 Execution by the French of their de-
mand for a submarine navy would
mean in the very least, it was declared,
that Great Britain should be prepared,
if only as matter of pure strategy, to
resist at any time in the future an
undersea attack of the magnitude pos
sible with 10000 tons of that type of
war craft. 1t would also nullify for
those two countries much of what has
/ been accomplished in tightening the
public tax burden.
Citing the experiences of the recent
war, in which the Allied countries COM
bined maintained 4,434 ships of various
types to deal with the 800 German sub
marines, of which only fraction were
at sea at any given time, it was said
by British representatives that the
defensive program Great Britain would
be forced to adopt would call for inf
than French underwater feet might
total
The British are not now optimistic
about obtaining a satisfactory settle
ment of this problem from their point
Of view.
The submarine question is one that
must be discussed in plenary session
1t was learned that the delegates ex
pect to finish the private discussions to-
morrow afternoon and it is therefore
probable they will take the question
up in a plenary session next Tuesday
or Wednesday.
"Illegitimate Destruction"
The British feel that if the subma
rne question is not entirely settled
with adjournment of the entire con
ference, public opinion will soon bt
educated to the point where all the
powers will be forced to entire aboli
tion of this form of warfare. A partia
settlement now will be followed at ar
early date by another conference
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