Evening star., 1921-11-13
Foreign ENJOYS
Startled by
BOldness.
NATIONS TAKING.
KINDLY TO IDEA
japanese Pleased by
Ratio Fixed in
Suggestion.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.
The world today awaits the move:
Of Great Britain and Japan at the
limitation of armament conference
Americas cards have been laid or
the table by Secretary Hughes.
With a boldness that startled ths
members of the foreign missions at
tending the limitation of armament
conference and left the gallaries
gasping with surprise, the Secretary
of State proposed concrete and
definite program for the Limitation
of naval ornaments at'the opening
session of the conference yesterday
that must now be answered by the
other powers especially involved
Great Britain and Japan.
Locked On With Favor.
Although It is too early to predict
what win be the flnal attitude OF
these powers to the proposal Of Ar
Hughes for . ten-year naval building
holiday and the scrapplnE Of sixty.
six Of the capital ships Of tho three
nations involving q total tonnage OF
1.s7s.oI3 tons OF lighting ships, 1t may
be said that both the English and the
japanese look with favor on tho pro-
posal ~ Q working basis for . Anal
agreement on the limitation Of naval
arn8ments.
Tlak-ths ppepesal made ~ tia nsnnA
Of the, United States. by SsNstary
Hughes will have the sympathies Of
the world. now burdsned with taxa
ti6n and struggling for existence
under economic diniculties never be-
i1ors faced. was the general prediction
in Washington last night.
Tho foreign mission or missions
that ind it inexpedient to fall In
with tho plan advanced for tho Iim-
cd ~ q preliminary step for the lim-
itation Of land armaments-will have
much explaining to do to their peo-
pie, 1t 10 believed.
.ORer II Generous.
The offer Of the United States to
scrap thirty capital ships, aggregat-
ing s43,740 tons, as compared to tho
proposal that Great Britain shall
scrap nineteen, with a total tonnage
of 5S3,375 tons, and that Japan scrap
seventeen. with an aggregate tonnage
of 443,928 tons, was regarded as most
generous.
Tho British delegates withheld
official comment upon the Hughes
proposal, except that Arthur J. Bal
four, head Of the mission said that
Mr.. Hughes speech was "a statesman
like utterance, pregnant with infinite
possibilities and most hopeful OF sat
isfactory results"
Baron Kato. the head the jap
aness. delegation, in an interview with
the newspaper men, gave his "impres-
sions" regarding the plan.
Outstanding in the statement by the
emminent Japanese naval officer and
statesman was a statement that the
Japanese were satisfied with the ratio
of the navies Of the three nations
proposed by Secretary Hughes.
REGARDS Offer q Logical.
"Of course you cannot expect me
to give concrete expression of my
opinion regarding the proposal made
by Secretary Hughes" said tho Japa-
uese leader. He spoke through an
Interpreter. But presume you may
wish to know my impressions re-
garding that proposal. I regard 1t
sas the most concrete and logical pro-
posal for the limitation of arma-
ments that has ever been advanced.
whother it can be put into practice
depends on what is developed by a
careful study. have asked my tech
nical experts to make such a study.
I'VE are in favor Of the limitation
Of armaments. To attain that re-
suit we are prepared to carry out
the proposition (of Mr.. Hughes) to
the farthest possible extent"
Baron Kato was asked II the JAP
anese were prepared to 80 ahead with
q settlement OF tho limitation Of
armament problem before the aues.
&ions Of the far east (included in the
call for the conference) were taken
I'D and disposed OF.
He replied that the japanese dele.
uation was ready to settle the limi:
tation of armament problem i9de.
nendent of the questions of the fal
east. He declared in response to an
other question that he had no prefer
epce as to whether the limitation OF
srmament or the problems Of the far
cas-, be taken UP by the conference
and settled first.
Will AID U. 8. Delegation.
While the definite and frank man
ner I'm which Secretary Hughes TOOK
up and laid before the conference the
question Of limitation Of naval arma-
,,nent apparently. has overshadowed
The problems Of the far east et lsast
temporarily. Mr.. Hughes has made II
clear several times that ths oon-
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