The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-12-10

ANGLO-JAPANESE
ALLIANCE READY
Will Be Announced at a Plenary
Session of the Washington
conference Today.
PROPOSALS HAVE BEEN
ACCEPTED BY BIG FOUR
1t Is Expected That Ratio Agree
ment Will Be Announced
at This Meeting.
tRy The AssocIased Pressl

WASHINGTON, Dec 9-The four
power agreement to govern conditions
in the Pacific as a substitute for the
Anglo-Japanese alliance viii be an
nounced at a p1enary session of the
Washington conference at II o'clock
tomorrow. The question of naval ra-
tios. it was said tonight by some for
eign delegation spoIesmen, will not be
taken up at the meeting, at least di-
rectly, although it is understood that
its relation to the proposed agreement
is held to be vital.
Decision to hold the session was
reached suddenly tonight at a meeting
of delegation spokesmen with Secre-
tary Hughes after the French accep.
.tance of the proposal had been received
from Paris. Previously it had been
the plan to hold a meeting Of the COM
mittee on far eastern questions at that
hour.
At the same time reports viii be re-
ceived from several subcommittee
which have been at work on questions
affecting the far east.
The four power proposal has now
been accepted in principle by the four
powers concerned, Great Britain,
Japan, France and the United states.
Heads of their respective delegations,
ii is understood, will formally declare
their adherence to it at tomorrow's
meeting.
The negotiations tonight were par
ticipated in for the first time in sew
eral weeks by Baron Shidehara, the
Japanese ambassador who has been
ILL., He was sufficiently recovered,
howeved, as to leave the embassy to-
night and confer with Secretary Of
State Hughes.
An official statement by the confer
ence said:
"The fourth plenary session of the
conference on the limitation of arma-
ment will be held on Saturday, Dec. 10,
at 10 a. m. in Continental Memorial
hall
Already the task Of drafting the
treaty into final form is well advanced
Its text is brief, providing in direct
terms for abrogation of the alliance
and for q cooling Off process should
war be threatened over. questions Of
the Pacific islands. The details yet
to be settled are said to involve only
minor considerations.
delegates that the plenary session also
will see a publicly announced agree 1
ment between the United States,
Great Britain and Japan on the ts5- 81
naval ratio. Japan has not yet assent
ed to it, but her cabinet is sitting in
Toxic with an apparent prospect of
favorable action.
A third element of the washington
the separate parts Of
which have become intertwined as the
time for momentuo4s ueCloIon s,444,es,
also has been advanced to a point
where the attitude of each interested
is well understood. This
element involves future Notifications
in the Pacific, and informal discussions
OF it have established the status quo
as an acceptable basis Of agreement. !
There remains only the chance Of a !
serious controversy over the problems
of China as q possible barrier to a
far reaching understanding in which
the national spokesmen can come to-
gether on all the major points at issue
here.
With the sealing Of such an under
standing. the rest would become a |
matter of detail. Most of the principal
delegates believe they could go home
by the end of the year and leave the
specific terms OF the several remain- |
ing agreements to be worked out by |
special commissions.
Indications have not been lacking !
that Japan might want to delay final
action on the four power treaty and
the naval ratio until the devious prob |
lans of China and taA fer aas bava
reached a stage where they can lie
Jumped into a general roundup agree +
ment Despite much talk and the
adoption Of many resolutions such i
questions as Shantung and the Japa-
nese leases in Manchuria remain un-
settled. Whether that circumstance is
to delay the agreements now near i
is a question only To-
1io can answer. 1t is the belief OF /
that it Will not
Outcroppings Of the old troubles OF /
the orient have been apparent more |
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