Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-11-11
AMERICA PLANS
NAVAL SAVING
$2OO,OOO,OOO
Present Building Plan Will
Be Cut Practically In
Half By New Program.
NO ANGLO-JAP PACT
Believed 1t Will Not Survive Confer
ence In It's Present Fornl--u. ,.
Plan Kept Secret.

Washington. Nov. 11.-America's
program for the limitation of arma-
ments. if it is accepted by the Arms
Conference, will cut S20O,OOO,OUo OH
the tax bill of the people of this
country. This declaration is made
on the authority of one who knows
every item on the closely guarded
program.
That is what was meant when the
statement was made recently that the
world would be startled at the dis
tance this country was willing to go
N arriving at solution Of the flrst
problem to come before the session,
which will begin Saturday.
This means that our building plans
vii be approximately cut in two;
probably not quite that, as reduction
in the cost Of operation. which w!ll
follow retirement Of obsolete ships or
those approaching obsolescence doubt
less is Included IN this rourn estI-
mate.
Of course. the method and manner
Of reduction is entirely speculative
at this time. for no; 4 whisper OF
the basis BY WHICH the suggested
relative strength or the worlds three
great navics has been arrived at has
been disclosed. Probably not more
than a dozen men know it in It's en-
:irctv. These cmbrac" the four
American delegates, the President,
the Secretary Of the Navy, and
very few Of the high officers OF inc
navy. There is not the slightest
chance of anyone of these disclosing
the great secret. which will remain
. secret until Secretary Hughes lays
Il before the Arms Conference.
JUST how the American program
will be received by Great Britain and
Japan is subject of speculative de-
bate among those who were lnstru-
mertal in framing it. They looked
for considerable opposition from
.Japan and thought they could out
lre a counter-propos!tlon that "ouid
be willing to abandon or as least mod
ifv her "S-S" program and his further
statement that japan did not and
never had intended to seek naval
equality with the United States has
made them hopeful that perhaps that
co. ntcr-propositior from Nippon may
no: be irreconcilablc with our own
after all.
England is expected to be we'll sat
isfied with our program. In fact, one
Who has seen the American plan said
tciay that the thing worked out to
leave Great Britain in better shape
than she is now.
The suggestion that nations in ALI
arcc should not have greater navy
thrn the largest of the individuals
party to the alliance, which was one
of the things considered by our dele
gates. although I have no information
rs to the ultimate disposition Of 1t,
is not likely to De of much impor-
tancc. as there is.authority for the
statement that the .AnClo-Japanese al
lance will not survive the Arms Con-
ference. regardless of the success or
failure Of the Conference. As has
been indicated in these dispatches
both sides are tired Of i. The British
colonies are against it and the senti-
mant of the English statesmen is that
its sentimental value is not common
suratc with the disadvantage OF run
ming counter to Americas unstated.
but nevertheless wcll-known 0bjec-
tions to a pact that seems. at least,
to be aimed at her. now that Ger
many and Russia are not factors in
any possible Oriental miX-up
Japan is likewise agreeable to the
discontnuancc Of the agreement, as
the Japanese say there is no value
to them in it and the alliance may
bring them into possible Indian COM
plications. It has hecn surmsed that
Japan might want to hang back in
the matter OF the alliance for trad
ing purposes, particularly to get Gf
it be possiblc) some agreement that
would include the United States in
its scope. to make certain continued
peace in the Far East. England's at
titude, it was stated today, would
make no conditions Of this sort They
would welcome a three nation agree
ment. but the suggestion will not
emanate from them By what meth
cd the alliance vii! be done away with
has not been determined, but the gen.
eral exDectation is that it will be eff
fected by an interchange Of notes in
such wav as to avoid hurting any
body's feelings.