The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-03
FARLEY HOPEFUL
 OF SETTLING THE
 NAVAL PROBLEMS
English Conciliatory Attitude Makes Delegates 0pti- mistic Over Bringing
 About Agreement
By Associated Press

Washington, December 2.-The conciliatory influence of Great Bri- tain has given a more hopeful as- pect to the controversy over Japan's proposal to substitute 10-10-7 naval ratio for the 5-5-3 plan of the United States.
 There were no evidences of fur-
 ther actual progress tonight, de-
 spite another meeting of the nn-
 vai "big three,- but the delegates
 generally showed signs of grow
 ing confidence as a reflex of the
 British attitude toward Japan.
 Widespread qualification was
 expected. 1t became known, that
 Arthur J. Balfour had visited
 Baron Knto and conferred at
 length with him on the subject.
 An authorized spokesman of the
 British delegation revealed clear
 ly the purpose of his govern
 ment to use its best errorts for a
 solution.
 Great Britain" said he, ''has tried to do everything within her power to bring about settlement of disputed questions between other powers. have no doubt that Mir Balfour has used his best efforts to find plan which will meet the views of both America and Japan"
 Most American officials joined in the expression of qualification, but txrh 10 q nf n Nrtz ed spok esman of the American delega- -tion was drawn to the development he only remarked that 1t was anus ing how such reports gained circu- iation.
 Meeting of Big Three
 In many quarters there was dis position to regard tonight's confer ence of the "big three" as bearing a close relation to the conversat ton yesterday between MT. Balfour and Baron Kato. There was indications that Japan's attitude had not yet been fully defined by the exchanges between the Japanese delegation and Tokio, however. and one Japanese spokesman said after the "big three" conference that 1t would take some time to bring the ratio question to a solution.
 During the day the American delegation also held iong session to discuss the naval problem, while the far eastern committee debated with out result the question of withdraw ing foreign troops from China and the Chinese and Japanese, in a sepa- rate meeting, got down to business in their new effort to settle the Shantung controversy. A broadly drawn declaration of general policy on the troops question may be adopted in the far eastern committee tomor row but the Shantung questions were adjourned until Monday after the two sides had set forth the general out lines of their positions.
 The Japanese prediction that
 no naval ratio agreement was
 immediately in prospect was
 given further weight by the am
 nounced purpose of Mir. Balfour
 and several other members of the
 British delegation to go to New
 York tonight for visit thnt will
 keep. them away until Tuesday or
 Wednesday,, meantime. 1t fs ex-
 pected that the Japanese will fur
 ther communicate with their
 home government, so that Baron
 Kato can lay more detailed
 statement before his assistants of
 the 'bfg thrcee next week.
 As the naval negotiations slow down, there Is growing speculation in conference circles whether in the end the far eastern and naval prob. lems will not become interlaced.
 It has been the apparent hope oi conference officials to keep the two discussions entirely separate but there has been more than one indi. cation that there might be an at. tempt to make a naval agreement in some degree conditional on solution of the political relationships of the orient.
 With the question of the- "5-5-S' ratio in abeyance because of the change of front by Japan to claim g 70 per cent instead of 60 per cent status on the basis of national needs rather than existing naval strength the naval experts were at. work to- day on preliminary data for discus sion of other points of technical in terest in the American program wher the capital ship ratio has been settled
 tContinued on Page Two)