The St. Mary banner., 1921-12-10
PROCEEDINGS OF
ARMS CONFERENCE
Negotiations Under Way at
Capital Attracts World
Wide Attention.

Washinston-Jap and the United
| States appeared to be approaching an
| agreement on the question of naval
| ratio.
After a conference between Secre-
tarv Hughes, Admiral Baron kato and
Arthur J. Balfour, the Japanese dele
oates began communicating with To
kio presumably submitting to their
| home government some new phase Of
the negotiations.
This official communique was issu'
ed: Arthur j. Balfour, Admiral Baron
Kato and Secretary Hughes met at the
state department Friday and had an
extended interview with respect to the
naval proposals No comment on the
interview can be made at this time"
To that Baron kato added in reply
ing to questioners, Il can not divulge
anything that was brought up at to-
DAYS conference"
But from elsewhere came intima-
tions that possibly the question Of
American Notifications in the Pacific
and possibly the Japanese ambition to
retain the superintendent Mutsu
had entered into the developments.
Unofficial Japanese accompanying
the delegation to the Washington con-
ference put forward the suggestion
that if Japan were permitted to retain
the Mutsu and the American govern
70 f,rrfh hop fnrftfu II G
Pacific bases, the Japanese fleet would
have in effect a rating of IS or 66 per
cent instead of the 60 per cent allowed
by the American proposals.
Supporting this view, in so much as
it relates to the question of fortified.
tions, came this authoritative outline
of the Japanese position from a more
official source:
in Japanese minds strong fortifica-
tions near the home soil give cause for
anxiety because the Japanese people
want to know the reasons for them. To
them they are closely connected with
the question of national defense, just
as is the question of definite under
tOHSSIhih6 thC al 11oot bO-
tween the United States, Japan and
Great Britain.
There were no expressions from the
authorized spokesman of any group to
indicate how far these views repre-.
sented the results of Fridays proceed
ings; all the delegation leaders stood
firm on the official announcement that
mo comment can be made at this
time"
1t was pointed out by unofficial Jap
anese that whatever may have been
proposed at Fridays meeting had to
be referred to Toxic, because the jap
anese delegates do not have plenipo-
tentiary powers and because the Toxic
government would need to consider
the situation as it may affect the ex-
listing ministry.
The whole development. however,
was represented by delegation spokes-
men as justifying optimism. One, 9TH
er than the Japanese, characterized
the situation as most favorable" and
added that Fridays conference was
one of the most important yet held.
On behalf Of the Japanese, a fur
the point was emphasized in this
way.
Japan has no intention to wreck the
conference. At the same time, Japan
must satisfy the demands of the en-
pire that the national defense shall be
odn -
ize these two clear issues and it is the
problem Immediately confronting Ad-
miral Kato. Japan is striving to settle
the naval ratio question on the basis
of considerations of national defense
alone. There is no desire or intention
TO bargain on the question or to seem
to be giving up the position on the
ratio in exchange for some advantage
elsewhere"