The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-12-30
France Not Ready To
Agree To Limiting Size
of Auxiliary Craft
Whole Question Re-
mains Tied Up-Bal-
four Reserves Ship Pas
sage for England

Washington, Dec. 3o.-The Ameri-
can proposal for the limitation of
auxiliary naval craft to maximum of
10000 tons displacement is understood
to have been virtually agreed upon at
the morning session today of the arms
conference naval committee. All the
delegates accepted the proposal ex-
cept the French, who, while holding
formal approval in allegiance, said
such approval was expected. Delega7
tons of all the powers, however, are
understood to have given assent to
the American proposal that guns of
auxiliary craft be limited to eight
inches.
Approve U. S. Stand
London, Dec. Bobby the Associat-
ed Press efforts at the Washington
conference to curb the use of the sub
marine as a weapon, and Frances
claim for a large underseas fleet ap-
pear to be the topic in London.
The majority of the editorial writ
ers assail the French attitude which
the Daily Telegraph says faces the
world with "the possibility of world
wide Urientation of naval policy away
from the capital ship and toward the
submarine.
The Daily News condemns Frances
decision as "a disastrous debasing of
he standard of International moral
ty, and the Daily Chronicle says that
frances behavior cannot be regarded
IS other than unfriendly to Great
Britain.
The Morning Post, on the other
hand, while believing that Arthur J
Balfour expressed the general senti-
ment in Great Britain when he regret
ted that an agreement as to subma-
irine ratios had not been reached,
kurges the statesmen and journalists
ito put themselves in Frances place
which is not due to original sin but
geographic necessity.
1T is not blood thirstiness but
realism"
Elihu Roots resolution for limita-
tion of submarines received much at
tention. The Daily Chronicle com
ments: -fH3 81
1T is difficult to believe that Mr..
Root is not in humane collusion with
Mr.. Balfour for the whole object of
his proposals is to make it not worth
while to build submarines for the de-
struction of commerce-".., ., ,a.
The newspaper asks, however,
whether such rules could be enforced
if adopted. IiO up.h GHA
War on supTarines,,. "a,
Washington, Dec. ass66nAattBy the AS
sociated Pressa tpefiNbN s fon' the
American proposal to outlaw entirely
the use of submarines against mer-
chant shipping was awaited today by
three Of the five great powers-Italy,
France and Japan.
Formal approval of this proposal
was given by Great Britain yesterday
following the brief consideration of
the proposal.
The proposal to prohibit submarine
operations against merchantmen went
over for further committee discussion
today with proposed amendment by
the British delegates whereby the five
big powers would agree finailv be-
tween themselves to such prohibition
without awaiting world assent to sucn
a proposal. The amendment. was of
fered after the suggestion had, been
accepted by Mr.. Root as author of the
resolutions and the discussion ended
for the day at that point without any
expression on the second proposal by
delegates of the other powers
As adopted in substance by the nav.
al committee and sent to the sub
committee for. final drafting, the
first Root proposal sets out anew the
rules of visit and search belligerents
must observe in operating against
commercial vessels and couples with
this the declaration that submarines
must be governed by these rules. The
resolution was to be valued, Secretary
Hughes declared, during it's discussion
as reminder to any of the signatory
nations, that the weapons which the,
possessed were not as in the past tC
be used without reference; Is, the laws
Of God and man. mi, ae'es IA, .