The New York herald., 1921-11-20
CONFERENCE HALTS
AFTER FIRST SHOT
No Forward Step Made, in
French Writer'S View.
BY GEORGES LIE CHARTER.

BY GEORGES LIE CHARTER.
Correspondent of the Journal des De-
bats, Paris.
Special Despatch to THE NEW York HERALD.
New York IseraId Bureau.
Washington. ID. c.. Nov. 10.
At the end of this first week of the
conference it seems that the situation
presents itself as follows:
AS could well be expected after the
| first shock caused by the awakening
| message of Mr.. Hughes. the conference
has apparently made no further prog
ress. And if we see it from the outside
and rather superficially we may even
detect some sign of regress.
The United States. of course, stands
firmly on her position. No new declara-
ton, no new demand from her. The
most interesting development on her side
may be marked in the firmness. almost
irritation, which was shown by the
spokesman of the American delegation
on Friday, when, receiving newspaper
men. he emphasized that the only way
to stop the armament race was to stop,
and that the only yardstick that "an be
used in measuring comparative strength
is the present 5-5-3 ratio.
The vivacity with which the same
person refuted the suggestion that the
American programme might be matter
of take it or leave IT, to other nations
did not for one moment weaken the
resolution and firmness which had been
expressed with the first assertion. On
the contrary it seemed to certain among
those who had listened to both declara-
tions that in the mind of the American
Government the problem and conditions
were exposed in such manner that it
should be radically and practically i'm
possible for any nation of sound sense
and good will not to take It.
Where some regress of the conference
may be shown is in the attitude as
sumed by the two other delegations more
concerned on this same subject. We
had heard on Tuesday the counter pro-
positions offered by Mr. Balfour con-
cerning the submarines and the yearly
requirements of the ships. Two days
later came the Japanese plea to be
allotted larger number of battleships
than was allotted to her under the
American plan.
On the Pacific question agreement Is
not, so far. as firm and unanimous as the
less optimistic might wish IL to be-
We have had first the Chinese pro-
posal and the ten points stipulated by
the Chinese delegation as summarizing
the truest desires and best aspirations
Of China on the question where she is
undoubtedly most concerned. Then and
almost Immediately came the protest of
Prince Tukagawa, who frankly admitted
that his Government did not intend to do
anything with regard to China which
should be considered detrimental to
Japan's interest He refused to discuss
the principle of the "open door,
Divergence of views have still been
recently observed between Great Britain
and France on the question of subma-
rines. France holds that subma-
rlnes are "the weapons of the weak" and
greatly needed by her. Great Britain
maintains that submarines are a menace
to peace and on this point she seems
to have American public opinion with
her.
or all those dvergences / would be,
OF course, premature to infer that the
conference is doomed 10 failure. The
only sensible conclusion which appears
at present is that adjustments may take
longer to be obtained than 1t was at first
generally admitted and 1t would be fu-
tile to talk about the date of the end
of the conference as 1t has hardly begun
rt