The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-19
FRANCE WILL
ACCEPT SEA
RATIO PLAN
Five Power Treaty to Limit
Naval Armaments Brought
Much Nearer by New Move
on Part cf French.
RECEIVE INSTRUCTIONS
CBy Associated Press)

tBy Associated PresS5
WASHINGTON, Dec ia five
power treaty to limit naval armaments
apparently has been brought much
nearer by new move on the part of
France.
Fresh instructions for the French
delegation, said unofficially TO include
Premier Brands acceptance OF the
American proposal for French naval
strength, reached Washington today
and impelled the French delegates to
ask for a 24-hour recess in the naval
negotiations while they decided the
message, and pondered its contents.
Meantime despite unofficial advices
from abroad, saying there has been
positive acceptance by the French gov
ernment conference leaders are sound
ing a note of warning against over
optimism.
The French themselves manifest
great surprise AT the newspaper cable
! dispatches reporting an acceptance,
! They had presented a proposal for
! twice as great a French capital ship
| fleet as that provided under the Amer
| lean figures, and they are not ready
! to believe that their home government
( has so quickly accepted the lesser
| proposition unless there are important
conditions attached.
! In some quarters, it is regarded
probable that the message from NJ.
| BRAND, which is of considerable
length, makes the capital ship arrange
ment contingent on settlement re-
| garding the auxiliary craft which will
give France what she wants in sub
! marines and cruisers.
i Gets Cablegram
Secretary Hughes was understood
to have received a cablegram today
from London, stating that as a result
of the conference between Premier
BRAND of France and George Harvey.
American ambassador, that France
was expected TO accept the American
proposal for limitation of capital
: ships.
The advices to Secretary Hughes
were said to bear out unofficial re
: ports from London that Premier
BRAND had advised the French dele.
CATION here to accept the American
proposal of 175,000 tons of capital
ships for France and Italy. The
French acceptance, it was reported,
| was on tonnage and not a ratio ba-
sis.
The meeting OF the arms confer
5 ence naval subcommittee OF Is, was
S postponed until tomorrow at II o'clock
s by Chairman Hughes upon request OF
e NJ Sarraut, head of the French dele
J. cation. The committee had been
e called to meet today at IL o'clock.
e The French delegation. through Am
bassador Jusserand, explained to Mr.
:. Hughes by telephone that NJ. Sarraut
+ had cabled to Premier BRAND on Sat,
= urday for further instructions, and
that a dispatch of some length had
V just been received from the premier
o LONDON, Dec. 19-France will ac
n cept the original naval ratio laid dowr
q by Secretary Hughes at the Washing
ton conference, Premier BRAND in
formed George Harvey, the American
ambassador at their meeting las
night. He authorized the ambassado
to notify the American government tC
a that effect.
Although Premier Brands author
y ization which has already been con
veyed to the French delegation il
Washington and the American stat
- department makes no mention of sub
" marines. there is reason to belieyi
is that the French proposals regarding
N undersea craft were discussed by NJ
n BRAND and Ambassador Harvey. 1t i
,e limited that the French may have NOR
le to say on this subject,
Is
PARIS. Dec ia dispatch fron
st London to the semi-official Haya
al agency today said that Premier Brian
1e had informed Ambassador Harvey i
so London that France accepted Secrc
in tary Hughes proposals concernin
70 capital ship tonnage as follows
Id United States. five; England, five
as Japan, three; France. 10; Italy, 1.6S
The Interpretation put upon Pr
mier Brands interview with Amba!
sador Harvey in official circles her
this forenoon was that Frances a.
ceptance of the American point !
n view as to naval tonnage was an a
n ceptance lin principle" only SO far 9
capital ships were concerned. and thu
it did not alter the French insistenC
" upon adequate allowances of subm
OF rines and cruisers. 1t was also d
7h clared that, SO far as the Official al
re vices received here showed, no defi
ly inte ratio had yet been accepted
France.