The New York herald., 1921-12-29
NAVAL CONFEREES ABANDON
LIMITATION OF SUBMARINES

tcountry Is JUSTIFIED In trusting 10 tn<
good Offices of It's neishbors."
Reiterating that France had not en-
deavored to measure her naval needs by
what other naval Powers were building.
NJ. Sarraut said:
Great Britain with her $4,000 tons
of capital ships will possess fleet OF
gres. /. vessels, stronger than the CORE
spending fleets Of France and italy put
/ together. So be Il We ourselves do
not take offense. We are not the least
II, the world haunted by this eventual
ity, no more than we are apprehensive
of the fact that the fleets or the other
friendly nations, the United States and
Japan. will be considerably increased In
comparison with our fleet
'sWhy then. tnay say, rs subma-
rine fleet such as Is demanded by France
necessity for her? Do we Quibnle over
the needs OF others? Do we call into
question their possible intentions? De
we suspect them? Assuredly we shaii
not do So"
An Abstract Rule.
| NJ Sarraut said the theory that there
| Is an inevitable and necessary correla-
| ton between what we are obliged to do
and what our noishbors would then
deem themselves obliged to do" could
not be asserted without his asserting
| the contrary" He added that the
French group did not admit also that
there was logical correlation" be-
tween capital ships and submarine ton
| nages.
THAT is an abstract rule which you
thought you ought to lay down here"
! he continued. But we have shown
that we could not recognize It. We ara
guided by our needs. duly stated.
! proved. legitimized. 1t Is this rule. and
no other thought, which dominates our
feelings on the submarine question"
| It was in his rejolndsr to this speech
Of M. Sarraut that Mr.. Balfour sought
| to show the menace Great Britain
saw in the French submarine program.
! At the conclusion or his remarks he
! said he regretted having been com
| PEELED TO insist upon an aspect OF rh,
question which he gladly would have
left undealt with"
Mr.. BaIfour added that he did not
yield to NJ. Sarraut 'in his conviction
that the good feeling existing between
| his own country and their great ally
across the Channel would remain un.
shaken through all the changes which
| time might bring" He then turned the
| discussion to the American proposal K
limit the size and armament of auxiliary
ships.
For the Japanese delegation Mr.
Hanihara said there was no "essentia
\ objection" to the Limitation of calibe,
of guns on light cruisers. but wished
the opinion OF Admiral Baron Kato. who
was not present. and the discussion o,
this point went over.
| An amended proposal Tor tile Amer
ican delegation, proposing TO limit ths
size Of aircraft carriers to $1,000 tons
was presented coupled with the sugges
ton that their armament be limited 4
guns not exceeding eight inch caiiber
Under the original American ratio sug
gestion Mr.. Hughes said the Unitet
| States and Great Britain would be al
lowed $4,000 tons each In carriers. JapaI
$4,000 tons. France $4,000 tons and Italy
5000 tons.
] Lord Lee, for the British delegation
requested deferment Of the aircraft car
rier item until Tomorrow for examina
ton of technical questions involved, and
suggested instead resolution providing
that no warship shall carry a gun o.
greater caiiber than sixteen inches. which
was accepted by the committee unani
mously.
| In closing, Chairman Hughes said ra
the capital ship question appeared 4
be one in which tho committee was ir
complete accord, except as to the re
placement program, and the committed
instructed its naval experts to prepar'
a replacement chart for later consdera
ton by the committee.