New-York tribune., 1921-12-15
Ralfour and kato Consult
Hughes, and Approval
Of American Program
by Saturday Is Forecast
Japan Must Pay
To Retain Mutsu
any Deviation From Plan
To Be Offset by Reduc-
tion in Her Proportion
Bv Carter Field

kfr{Pnsub tu8S NistN QCt&ttS IT,
raned to be settled before the an
,opncement Of an agreement on the
,sval armament limitation question
vss made to-day by a spokesman for
me American delegation.
Actually it was thought until e late
<aur that the meeting tonight at the
some Of Mr.. Hughes between the head
i the American delegation and Mr..
s.lfour and Baron Kato might end with
y announcement that final agreement
~ this question has been reached.
Indeed. those in charge of the physical
arrangements of the open gatherings
81 tAe conference were held in readi-
mss to set the wheels in motion for
: session tomorrow until the confer
,uce OF the Big Three" adjourned.
There remains q strong conviction
.Ast the open session at which the for
ns, announcement that the 5-5-3 ratio
has been accepted has only been post
ocned until Friday or Saturday at the
least.
,;.sIv Nv decided remain the same. They
Involve the price which Japan must
nay for retaining her new battleship
3he Mutsu. Strong objections have been
raised in one quarter or another to
syery solution of this problem which
hes been advanced.
Hughes Opposes Alteration
Secretary Hughes is determined that
there shall not be any deviation from
the 5-5-3 ratio-unless the nation
doing the deviating shall be the one to
suffer by having her proportionate ratio
made smaller.
Mr.. Hughes-and President Harding
IS backing the Secretary to the limit on
Ills proposition-is determined to avoid
My violation Of the naval holiday idea.
President Harding hopes that the sue
cess of this conference will lead to
further naval reductions from time to
tine. He does not look with approval
on changes made in the American lirni-
sasion program which contemplate the
obstruction Of new ships inside the
ten-year period. He hopes strongly
that the holiday may be extended at its
end and that the period of replace
ment may be deferred. This is his
thought, according to some of his clos
est advisers, although of course his
srm viii have expired when the holi-
day is over.
So this idea that America shall
finish the Colorado and the Washing
Ton, in return Tor the Japanese keep
ing the Mutsu, and that the British,
either now or at little later during the
holiday shall build two Hoods, does
I not appeal to the Administration.
Even with the added feature that
the American Navy should scrap two
more old ships, the North Dakota and
the Delaware, and that the Japanese
snali scrap one of their old ships, the
Setsu, and the British, whenever they
euld the two new Hoods, two of their
Old ships, it does not meet the ap-
sroval of the administration.
!ne Japanese are looking at the stu
s.on only with an eye to keeping the
aassu without paying too high price
scrapplng other ships, so that they
an 60 home with what will look like
more or less Of diplomatic victory.
me British, aside from their keen
4 eeslre to save money and their wish
a,i ,or me le, success of the conference,
would like new plan for requirements
operation. This would be accom-
pllshed by building the two Hoods
curing the ten-year naval holiday.
&sucHtca NllngS LO IDEAL
me Americans, however, are more
shSlous for the moral effect on the
so,ia and for bringing about world
s'us iaea that genuine start had been
Iaae toward the limitation, if not elm
asssoh, OF war on the sea. This is of
wshh,teiy more concern to both Mr..
ssssalng and Secretary Hughes than
sAsaaer spaesaer the Japanese have a new bat
Ssshlp IN place of an old one now
'assead OF fifteen years hence.
i mus Mr. Hughes has been fighting
sa: mslue the Big Three" conferences, ac-
sba ba'ig 70 the best information obtain
ss ss, ior decision which will not ap-
ssso 70 the public, both here and
sss sssosu' 10 have impaired seriously the
'asal holiday idea.
,s 's the difficulty of reconciling all
H. bsaI ~. views IN enc plan that has caused
On. sislay, despite the fact that every
,jyss washington knows these mo-
+ b. no. sla objections could not possibly
N nit'ed ra,.ai, TO prevent an agreement
w. armament reduction.
N H. o,her points have been holding
fas,;sae ;as saecision. One is the question
lne;;saacatlons IN the Far East. both
d. and Japanese The other is
act that the Shantung settlement
4 dsaN; a4s been brought close enough to
\ sassss as';ion' All deny officially that
Aantr,rs. any connection between the
IL AeJsng lug discussions going on between
land saaese paa and Chinese, on the one
fpins anu Inc naval ratio discussions
ke e,ho on among the Big Three" on
aei. s,si Despite these denials, there
,te hsl,o1hg feeling that the Japanese
ih,snn0 snn0iulng back inside the "Big
IL Ns. until the Shantung discussions