The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-12-05
Reply To American Naval
Proposals Not Expected
For Several Days
MUST
AWAIT HOME ADVICE.
Believed Kato Has Recommended Ae-
ceptance of Hughes RatiO-FOrtifiea-
tions In Pacific Not Considered In
Detail-No Concession BY Americans.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

copyright 1f-1.
WASHINGTON, Dee. 5.-Absolute
confidence prevails among the biggest
officials of the United States government
that the japanese cabinet at Toxic will
approve the American naval program as
recommended by the japanese delegation
following the conference between Secre-
tary Hughes, Arthur Balfour and Baron
Kato on Friday.
The situation will remain unchanged
for at least three or four days while the
lengthy cablegrams sent by the japanese
delegation Journey to Toxic over the slow
cable routes of the Pacific.
Those who have been unable to under
! stand the apparent slowness of the nego-
/ tiations at Washington need only make
i inquiries concerning the exact time that
! it takes to get reply from Toxic by cable
7 in these DAYS of cOngeSted communication.
In the first place the japanese put their
+ messages in code. To put cablegram
: Of ordinary length in code takes several
hours To encipher a message describing
in detail so important q conference as
that which MeSsrS. Balfour. Hughes and
Kato had on Friday probably took most of
Friday night The cable experts say that
i'm ordinary times it takes at least 30
hours for a reply to be obtained to n mes
sage sent TO Toxic. While japanese gov
eminent messages are given preference,
the chances are il will take at least 80
hours for all the japanese cablegrams to
reach Toxic when another delay Is en-
countered, for the messages have then to
be decided and placed before the Japan
csc cabinet for consideration.
Not Disposed of Quickly.
Matters of such moment as the naval
ratio that shall exist for the next 10 years
between the United States, Japan and
Great Britain are not disposed of quickly
and the chances are that all Of today and
probably tomorrow will be consumed IN
cabinet council at Toxic. Then the de-
cison must be put in code and be sent
over the long Pacific cables which have
relays at two or three stations on the way
from Japan to the United States. On ar
rival here the important reply must be
decided and carefully examined. Some
. times n garbled cable has to be in part
repeated.
In any event it is not expected that
any decisive development on the naval
ratio program will be known before the
middle of this week, when a plenary SEES
sion may be held to announce to the pub
lie the conclusions that have been reached.
Meanwhile the Japanese delegation here
Is pOwerless to act. The impression pre-
/ walls that Baron kato has recommended
to bis government that the American
naval ratio be accepted. This statement
is based upon the optimistic manner of
Secretary Hughes after his meeting with
the heads of the British and Japanese
delegations and also upon certain intima
tons give in official circles that matters
We're proceeding favorably. Those who
have heard Secretary Hughes explain the
American position on naval ratios, and
who know what he has said in the private
conference feel confident that any favor
able tone given to the situation at this
time can only be based upon the fact that
the American delegation has stood pat"
and insists upon an unqualified yes or
no before going much further in the
discussion of naval matters.
Not Taken Up in Detail.
Just how much of part the question of
fertilization or the renewal of the Anglo
japanese alliance played in the meeting
between Baron Kato. Secretary Hughes
and Arthur Balfour is difficult to conjec-
ture, but unofficial information is to the
effect that neither of the problems was
taken up in detail. Mr.. Hughes would
never discuss Notifications in detail with
out referring the matter to the committee
of naval experts. 1t is quite possible
s, that Baron K8to did ask Mr.. Hughes sew
eral questions particularly as to what
Americas intention in general with re-
spect to the building up of the present
Notifications in the Pacific. Such ques-
! ton Secretary Hughes could readily an
swer with the statement that of course
! the United States in reducing her naval
strength was not planning to build up
naval Notifications greater than these she
already possessed This could be seized
/ upon with qualification by the japanese
delegates an informal assurance war
ranting Japan in accepting the American
naval ratio in entirety. Mr.. Hughes
would not hesitate to remove any appre-
I tensions the Japanese may have had if it
Tod 70 rlo .,sar,o Of - e
I thing this correspondent has been as
sured. The United States delegation has
not felt it advisable to depart i'm any sense
/ from the fundamentals laid down in the
/ original Hughes program and any thing
! said since then which might be construed
as concession or an assurance Is simply
I an explanation of the American govern
! ment'S intention. Some experts have gone
I so far as to calculate that a pledge from
I the United States not to build up present
Notifications is as good to the japanese
as getting the "10-1O-7 ratio" which they
have been seeking. If this is true, the
2 Japanese are attaching far more impor-
lance to Notifications than are the Am6ri-
can naval experts who admit that the
present Notifications in the Far East are
hardly effective for a navy such as
America was planning before she pro-
posed the conference plan of reduction Of
naval armament. SO America can well
afford to give Japan the assurance con-
corning future Notifications This may
have been the turning point in the Fri
day meeting. but in any event the fact is
the Japanese delegation saw that Mr..
Hughes meant business and that he was
not disposed to go further in the confer
ence without getting an acceptance or re-
lection on the question of capital ships
and the scrapping of all building pro-
grams
The expression ''moon-eyed." as pop.
uarly used to describe an advanced