The daily times., 1921-11-04
SCRAPP|NGOF ALL
. Of ARMY AND NAVY
IS |MPRACT|CABLE
LIMITATION EXPLAINED
Limitation of Armaments is
Technical Term in the Navv
and Means Scrapping Ships
Now Obsolete, Reduction
Means Actually Limiting
New Construction of We els
(By David Lawrence.
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily

Washington, Nov Simple
! words do not always have simple
meanings. For instance, the official
title Of the big conference is 'Limi-
tation Of Armament" Popularity the
gathering has been erroneously call
ed disarmament conference.
What's the difference between dis
armament and Limitation of arma-
ment'? President Harding and his
associates have declared they do no.
believe in complete disarmament
the scrarping of all armies and ma
Ivies. They believe it impracticable
America would never disarm alone
Nor wuold the rest of the world be
likely to 90 SO. AS we'll might cities
agree to abolish fire departments be-
cause the number of fires were grad
ualiy being diminished
Mr.. Harding feels that police
force is always necessary In other
words if armament should be reduced
it should never pass below the line
of domestic safety But while disarm-
ament isn't intended, it is also inter
esting to reveal the fact that 'limi
|tation of armament has a technical
meaning in naval parlance and so has
reduction OF armament" Naval ex-
pertS have the same attitude as law
yers toward legal phrases. They have
reasoned it out that limitation of
armament, for instance, means scrap
ping ships now in service but really
obsolete. Each navy has a number OF
such vessels. Once they were first line
fighting craft. Now they are relegated
to the rear. but every nation keeps
sailors on them and spends lot of
money in maintenance. No one nation
likes to throw away these obsolete
ships if the other nations keep them.
So limitation would mean abolishing
by common consent the expense of OBJ
solete ships. That could of course be
accomplished without any special
agreement about new construction.
It's the least that the coming confer
ence can do.
AS for reduction of armament,
| this term means actually limiting the
new construction to the vessels now
building and limiting new appropria-
tions only to the replacement of OBJ
solete ships. A special convention or
treaty would fix the period of obso1-
| iescence so that vessel built in 1921
icould for example be automatically
replaced in 1881 and so on.
! The American Navy is anxious to
=, take the leadership in proposing a
program not only of limitation but
reduction. But the problem is not as
easy as a definition of terms might
suggest What is meant by new ap-
preparations" And does it refer to
inventions? If the limitation is in
terms of money, some nation might
invent a new agency of warfare which
would be inexpensive but which
would absolutely alter the relative
strength of existing navies. Further
rine? The merchant ships of today
are potentially valuable as commerce
destroyers. Guns can be mounted on
their decks in a few weeks and they
can be converted into warships. Eng
/ land has the biggest merchant ma
y rine. America has a vast number OF
ships, too. Certainly no nation wants
to limit the building of ships used for
commercial purposes. Yet some agree
ment must be made as to the conver-
Fsion of those merchantmen in time
of war.
So the public can rest assured OF
/ CONTINUED on Page 81