New-York tribune., 1921-11-27
ENJOYS Eager
To Finish Task
By Christmas
Viviani, Balfour and Van
Karnebeek MI a k e Ar
rangements to Return
Home Within z Weeks
Americans Predict Recess
Anticipate Several Weeks
of Bargaining After the
Naval Experts Report
By Boyden Sparkes

By Boyden Sparkes
WASHINGTON, Nov. 2e. - Henry
Ford's peace ship slogan, "Out Of the
trenches by Christmas" has been re-
vived by the leaders at the conference.
Rene Viviani says he is going to leave
Washington December L. Arthur Ball
four hopes to pass Christmas in Eng
land, and Jonkheer H. A. Van Karne-
beck, the Dutch Minister of Foreign
Affairs, expects to bid Washington
farewell on December 10.
There is small prospect that the con-
ference will be near conclusion by
Christmas, however, and in American
circles there is talk. Of Christmas re-
cess. Although Viviani says quite posi-
lively that he is leaving here Decem-
ber Ia, he realty is not very hopeful Of
getting away. 1t was an impatience with
the slow progress Of the conference, in
fact, that caused him to call on Secre-
tary Hughes and urge that the sittings
OF the important committees of the
conference be extended from two to
three hours.
Naval Cuts Will Garry Delay
There are some phases of the work
that cannot proceed concurrently. The
various types of auxiliary ships, for
example, cannot be considered, if the
American viewpoint prevails, until
decision has been reached with regard
to capital ships. It was two weeks ago
to-day that Mr.. Hughes announced the
American proposal for the scrapping
of sixtysix battleships by the United
States, Great Britain and Japan.
During these two weeks the naval
experts cf the British and Japanese
delegations have been working day and
night examining the American scheme
for naval armament reduction and
have finally reached their conclusions
The British are understood to feel
there is nothing in the Hughes pro-
posals that requires radical alteration.
although they do express their belief
that the whole issue is bound up with
the question of submarines. The Jap
anese, on the other hand, have pre-
pared long and, they hope, impress
sive series of arguments to support
their contention that the policy of re-
duction according to existing strength
entities them to keep the newly built
post-Jutland Mutsu.
Two Weeks of Bargaining Forecast
The American proposals were not
drawn up in day, and if it took two
weeks for the Japanese and British ex-
ports to reach their conclusions con-
cerning them it is surely going to
take two weeks more at the very least
to bargain over these differences of ex-
pert opinion.
Then there is the question of new
agencies of warfare, including all the
chemical phases of Wholesale death
dealing through poison gas and disease
germs. The American experts have
| just asked for fifteen days delay in the
consideration Of this problem. These
two weeks, incidentally, will give every
one here, who has not already done 80,
an opportunity to digest Will Irwin s
book, 1.-THE Next War" 1t is a book,
it may be said, which has received at
tention from at least some of the dele
gates.
There is fairly widespread accord
among the delegates that definite un-
dertafings by the conference with re-
gard to the restriction of these scien-
|! tific methods of destroying life are
next to impossible. In the first place
many of them feel that the secrecy
with which preparations can be made
for chemical warfare makes agreement
difficult On this point the Americans
are said to be quite as cynical as the
French, but the plan nevertheless is to
go to the bottom of the subject. If
the conference concludes that it is i'm
practical to make an effort to restrict
such agencies Of death the reasons
supporting this viewpoint will be
made public, so that the peoples of the
world will understand their failure
At any rate, none here has expressed
the belief that the conference would
have any difficulty in reaching an
agreement on the impossibility Of re-
stricting science.
Submarines May Cause Hitch
If deadlock comes it is believed il
will be over the submarines. The un-
topic among not only the five powers
which are considering armament, but
also among the delegations represent
ing Holland, Belgium and Portugal
Even the Chinese are taking an acad
emic interest in the problem.
Thus far the British are alone ir
their opposition to this type of craft
which, when they reach their ultimate
development, would make possession
Of such powerful and strategically i'm
, portant bases as Gibraltar, Malta ant
Cypress, hitherto keys of the empire
, almost valueIess.
, 1t is the coming discussions of the
submarine that make Vivian ant
other leaders of The conference so ut
terly hopeless of a realization of the
slogan "out of the conference BY
!, Christmas"