The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-11-16
CONFEREES AGREE
AS TO PROCEDURE
IMPORTANT WORK WILL BE
DONE IN ARMS PARI-EY BY
COMMITTEE BEHIND CLOSED
DOORS AND REPORT TO MAIN
BODY E.

Washington, Nov. 15.-The real
work of the armament negotiations
was transferred today from the open
conference to the more secluded pre-
cincts of the committee room.
After a debate which developed
widely separated views on the ad-
visibility of giving publicity to the
negotiations the 'fbig five," compris-
ing the chief delegates of the United
States, Great Britain, France, Italy
and Japan, settled on the committee
plan as the only acceptable solution.
To one committee whose member
ship will be identical with that Of the
full conference, was assigned the
task of working out a solution for
the Far Eastern questions. Another
composed Of all the delegates of the
five great powers, was created to
take over the negotiations on the
main topic of armament limitation.
Since only the delegates of the five
powers are qualified to act on arma-
ment limitation in the conference
the result in each case will resolve
the delegates into committee of
the whole" II
Although no official would make a
prediction prior to the assembling
of the new Committees" the pre-
sumption. everywhere tonight was
that the meetings would be held be-
hind closed doors and that the pub
lie would get a glimpse of the pro-
ceedings only when in their capacity
as committeeman the delegates have
an important decision to report to
the conference las whole.
The committee plan was said to
have been agreed as the most correct
method of attack on the problem be-
fore the conference, since it would
permit greater libAty of confidential
expression between the representa-
tives of the various governments and
would obviate much Of the procedure
that would be NECESSARY should the
session continue entirely in the open.
Another argument used by those
who favored the proposal was that
it would facilitate such notifications
of program as might become neces-
sary through changes in the person
mel of the various delegations and,
in the diplomatic situation generally
confronting the conference.
One result of the decision may be
to make tomorrow's open session of
the conference the last Of these
which precede the period of actual
decision of the questions on which
the negotiations hinge. The most OPP
timistic officils do not expect the
committees to be able to report with
out. long study and debate. 1t is
pointed out that there is no injunc-
tion against an open committee
meeting but the likelihood of such
a development is generally conceded
to be remote at the present state Of
the negotiations.
An additional result, at least at
the beginning, will be to permit the
whole body of delegates to deal with
subjects before the conference in
stead of leaving the decisions to the
'Fbig five" or the 'ibig nine" Crea-
ton of subcommittee is provided
for in the plan, however, should
that step be found advisable.
The decision to create the arma-
ment COMMITTEE of the whole" was
reached at meeting of the heads of
the delegations of the five powers
and wasadopted for the handling of
Far Eastern questions also at a
later meeting of the heads of all
nine of the delegations seated in the
conference. It also was agreed that
at tomorrow's open session an op-
portunity would be given for any ma
ton to express its views on the Am
erican plan for limitation of naval
armament.