The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-24

$4,000 TONS
SUB TONNAGE
American Program Would
Cut Existing Amounts OF
United States and Great
Britain One-Third.
MOST ARE UNCHANGED
nv Associated Pressl


WASHINGTON, Dec. 24.--An Amer
lean program for limitation of subma
rine tonnage was reported today to
the naval armament committee of the
five powers of the Washington confer
ence.
The American program proposes
submarine tonnage of $4,000 for each
Great Britain and the United States.
and the existing tonnage for Japan,
France, and Italy.
The American proposal would cut
the existing submarine tonnage of the
United States and Great Britain about
one-third each, and leave the other
powers in their present position, that
| is: France approximately $4,000: Jap
an $4,000, and Italy about $4,000
The British proposal for the total
abolishment of submarines was said
to have been placed on file without
| definite action, the committee turning
| 10 the discussion of the American linn
! itation plan. 1t will meet again at $3.50
/ this afternoon.
French Position
| In the long three-cornered debate in
which the submarine discussion was
! carried forward in the naval commit
tee yesterday, however, Admiral De-
bon of France already very strongly
| intimated the position of his country
on the question of auxiliary tonnage
! in declaring that 10000 tons is the
absolute minimum for all the navie5
| who may want to have a submarine
force. He expressed the opinion
that the conference could not reason
ably" limit submarine construction at
all
For the British group yesterdays
debate was carried on by Arthur j.
Balfour, head of the delegation, who
reiterated and extended arguments al
ready advanced by Lord Lee for abol-
ishment of submarines, while Senator
Schanzer of Italy. the only other par
ticipant, further stated the opposition
of his country TO such action at this
time, and said the Italian delegation
felt the problem should be examined
subsequently in a wider conference
Unfinished Business
The unfinished business of the con-
: ference shared the attention of dele
gates today with the new prominence
: given the fourpower treaty discus
} sions by President Harding's public
statement late yesterday characteTiz-
ing the difference over interpretation
, of the pact as "unimportant." De-
claring he would "offer no comment
on the disputes which attempt to mag
[ Nifty the differing constructions" of the
treaty, Mr.. Harding asked that the
lesser questions of difference be not
permitted to obscure the central pur-
pose of the agreement TO preserve
! peace.
TOXIC, Dec. 24.-All the shipyard
laborers in Japan are assured con-
tinued employment for at least a year
!, in completing the 10 light cruisers and
l "a destroyers now building or project
ed. This assurance comes from Vice
: Admiral Keinuke Okada, chief of the
department of naval equipment. AS a
result of the understanding reached AT
Washington, work has been suspend
ed on four battleships and four battle
cruisers.
Assuming that the Japanese govern
ment will be allowed to proceed with
the building of the auxiliary craft,
, Vice Admiral Okada recommends such
ALLEGATION of the workmen as to pre-
serve the efficiency of all deck yards
possible. This would be merely pre-
| caution against any possible develop
\ ments which might necessitate addi-
' tional construction during the 10-year
> naval holiday" over the amount al
1 lowed under the present agreement