The Washington herald., 1921-12-01
HUGHES, KATO
NDBALFOUR
MUST DECIDE
japanese Insist They
Should Have 20 Per
Cent Basis.
WANT TO RETAIN
THEIR NEW SHIPS
British Naval Men Are in
Full Agreement With
U. S. Figures.

The success or failure n ~,
limitation Of armament c"ur'rau,,
this morning is hack VHcr. r
started As the result 81 ,est..r-
days developments three mon.
Hughes. Balfour and Baron Eato.
must decide whether peaceful prog
ress is TO coutiuu. "r roat.tfuuarg
planning and mad race for SI-
premacy is to he substituted
when Secretary Hughes ou Nr,
-. opened the session DO uufI1u,4F
the naval Limitation program OF
the United States. Tl-.r, va- .n
agreed acceptauco in prinrrr'c
He stated what America da~It...,l
and the sacrifices that b. would
make for harmony. Groat BRITAIN
agreed In principle. So drd Jarsr
Committee Reaches DeadIocL.
Then comittee of naval expert
Was named % r.runril, IN. "prisl
cipleS. II was headed by Crl
Theodore Roosevelt assistant s,,..
retary of the navy. That commit
tee. aided 10y the mathematical eN-
perts of III" Rig Three" navies h~-
Ean confcre noes 20 decide what tnr
program would be.
Last night this committee reachcs
a deadlock The American auH
British experts have agreed that
the Hughes figures were right. Tn.
japanese take a position % com
3lete opposition.
The experts are through Tho
problem-and il Is the one and onl
problem that Will make FOR SUE
cess or failures referred hack 4.
the Big Three" Or the shoulder
Of SecretSry of state. Charles o..
Hughes. Arthur J. Balfour and Al
mirsl Baron ksto. responsibilities T..
agreement or failure again rests
Today they will further cousider
the ratio. II they can agree. ar
right. II not. then the race f"r
naval supremacy continues and all
disinterested persons here in VAS
inEton accept as a fact that 10"
outcome will he another world Wa
with the alignment very much re-
versed and America and Japan or-
cupying immediate and Opposing
parts
Wants 90 Keep New ships.
The naval experts have tried tIeu
best 10 reconcile their opposing view
points. But there has developed 90
fundamental difference. The Japan
csc experts have insisted that the
United States has no particular riEhf
10 bring into the equation ships uU-
der construction or on which moncy
has been expended although Nj
Hughes. in outlining tho United State
plans. scrspped $3.50 GOO 600 worth o.
capital ships. some Of them far great
er than ever before had been though
possible Of creation
In opposing the American position.
the japanese have declared that the,
did not want any favors They sim
ply asked that such ships a. ths
Mutsu. ss per cent completed and
others just launched or about 20 hc
launched. be kept from the SCRAP
heap. In effect they have claimeI
the original ratio Of lO-IO-e outlined
by Mr.. Hughes wrs all WRONG ThcN
want their proportion fixed ~ -
per cent They have snalyzcd Shrp
by ship; gun for gun and man To-
man on each ship from their way "-
thinking.
CLAIMS ARE DTSCREpITEp sub
Their figures. presented under th.
most extreme Euise Of pIau~ibilit,.
have been examined nv Mr. Hughes
and the American delegation And
in every event tn ratio has been
seen as ringing false
So yesterday the experts reached
position where forward progress
was possible. Sothe whole program
was referred back to the subcom-
mittee OF the naval armament COM
mittee. That trio now must ind p
a basis of agreement or confess that
fhRra hp
written. Il has plenty Of time 70
work this out There will not be
another plensry session until the mid
die OF next week. And q iS entircly
possible that by that time the Japan
csc position will he chsnccd
Because after all Japan must re-
ccde. Not that th" United states
has. or will. serve any take--it-or-
lesve-it plan. But the ratio agreed
upon is absolute. II is mathe-
matically correct. And 50 the Amer
lean delegates cannot back down.
Jnpsn Generously Treated
As has been very carefully ex.
planned by The Herald the propor-
tions Of navies suggested nave
been arrived at by careful hgurinE
in which Japan was treated most
generously" There are now two
classes of difference. major ans
minor. The latter Is based entirely
on ship comparisons They easily
can be settled by actual comparison
OF authentic figures
But the major difference. and the
one on which the possible break
down must De prediDat,d. 20 ....... ~
whether there shall he taken into
consideration ships In course q,
construction and assigning 60 thcr~
their proportionate position iu ,-ani-
tai ship strength The American
delegates declare that this h. no.
even a debatable problem TIL
country. in rnumcrating it, ss-ti-
hces. must count 1rtusl ships and
ships upon which t.rcy has heen
spent. Some Of tho Au1-Tia1r h'uS
highest authority pnint"H -- -
night. are 90 per cent .-rmpl,t
That must be existing strength. a
is relative strength and after an