Paragould soliphone., 1921-12-19
FRENCH CLAIM ACITATES THE
 BIG POWERS
Japan, Britain and America Object-Proceedings Be- hind Closed Doors Leak Out to Public.

w dSHlHS lOu, DcC. ~ | uc lU' gotiations for reduction of naval armaments struck an unexpected ob- stacle yesterday while the far east ern discussions were making unex- pected progress.
 France furnished the latest com plication in the naval problem, and although details of her attitude were carefully concealed she was represented as desiring to launch a capital ship building programme or a scale that would scrap the whole ship scrapping plan agreed on by the United States, Great Britain and Japan.
 Chinese Issue Clarified. In the far eastern conversations the question of Japanese withdrawal from the Kiao-Chow Railroad ill Shantung, which 24 hours ago seem ed to have reached a stage of con siderable delicacy, was brought sud denly to the point of tentative agreement between the Japanese and Chinese delegates.
 Other issues of the arms confer ence remained at a standstill, al though in the Senate the attack on the four-power treaty was renewed by Senator Reed, Democrat, Mis- souri, and administration spokesman took notice of the debate long enough to say they did not regard the treaty as obligating the United States to take military action. In the new naval committee of fifteen the British formally pre- sented their request for abolition oi the submarine, but discussion was deferred and it was indicated that the point would not be pressed with any hope of success. The request was all but lost sight of in the stii created by presentation of the views of France.
 What actually happened with re- spect to the French proposal was screened behind the interdiction oi secrecy that surrounds the meeting of the committee of fifteen, se- crecy which was Agreed upon yes terday by the committee itself. An official spokesman of the British delegation, however, made bold tt say that the French had presented a building programme that would give them ten S5,000 ton super dreadnoughts during the ten years i subsequent to 1925, and that Great Britain, the United States and Ja pan all had objected.
 Developments that followed thil disclosure gave evidence of a brew ing storm over the question of SC crecy for sessions of the committee The French declined to comment saying that under the discipline of the State Department" they wer'
 pledged to keep quiet. An officia American spokesman followed tn
 same course, saying that the situa
 tion was that the committee met a
 II o'clock and adjourned at IA,
 to meet again today.
 Both the French and American
 expressed surprise that anyone hal
 ventured to reveal what transpire
 behind the closed doors of the com
 mittee room and there were hint among the French that an investi gation should be instituted.
 British Are Candid. T Out of the tangle the only ma
 tional attitude to be clearly ennn
 ciated was that of the British They said frankly they could not ap
 prove the French plan, since
 would give to France by 1885
 great preponderance of new, first
 class ships over every nation i the world. If France built the said, Great Britain must build, tot Italy was also represented as dis approving the French plan, but a insisting that she must keep abreas of France in any encouragement ( naval strength.
 !, French spokesmen have repeated ly pointed out that they were with out any official knowledge of wha was in progress in the "big three naval negotiations eliminating the triangular agreement. They rt ceiyed the official announcement { the agreement late Thursday and appeared possible that when th French government had taken tim to study closely the three-power LII } derstanding, notifications in Frenc } proposals might be forthcomin, Vague hints of such possible deve ! opments were in circulation la' ! night, but whether founded O } knowledge or hope could not l determined.