The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-16
ACCEPTANCE OF MA VAL
RATIO ANNOUNCED BY
STATE DEPARTMENT
Japan Will Retain the
Mufsu Instead of the
Setsu-May Incorpo-
rate Agreement in
New Treaty of FiUe
Nations

washing ton, december To-
Agreement of the ''big three" naval
powers on the 1858" naval ratio
plan was officially announced late
today at the state department.
Under the plan, Japan retains the
the old battleship Setsu. and the
United States retains two additional
ships CT the Maryland class instead
of the Delaware and North Dakota.
Great Britain, as an equivalent,
will build two super-jreadnaugh
similar to the Maryland and Mutsu
types, but of greater tonnage, scrap
ping four old battleships of the orig
inal retained list suggested by the
Amer can plan.
The agreement includes n
status quo understanding on for
tificatiOns of the Pacific islands
In open waters and exclusive of
Hawaiian and islands off the
Japanese, Australia and New Zea-
IaDd coasts. With these excep-
tioB>, the agreement comedies
with the original American plan
of limitations, but questions as
TO submarines, possible mOdifi-
cations of the IO-year naval holi-
day and tonnage allowances In
aircraft carriers and other aux-
iiinry types are reserved for con-
alteration by the new naval COM
neittee Of is, which held It's first
scssfon today.
The agreement also provides for
maximum limit in tonnage of capital
ships to be built in replacement at
$1,000 tons, American measurement,
and for an ultimate tonnage ratio
between the three powers at the end
of the 10-year holiday as follows:
Great Britain, 5000 tons; the
United States, $4,000 tons; Japan
$4,000 tons.
Maximum Limit
The original American proposal
fixed a maximum limit of $4,000 tons
and provided for 100000 tons eacg
for the United States and Great Brit
ain and 100000 tons for Japan.
The ships OF the Maryland class
to be retained by the United
States will be the Colorado and
Washington. The ships TO be
scrapped by Great Britain TO
compensate for her two new bnt-
tleships will be the King George
v. the Erin, the Centurian and
the Ajnx.
The official announcement said
the agreement was dependent on a
suitable agreement with France and
Italy as to their naval ratios, but
that the ratio as between the three
big powers was not to be affected by
the French and Italian negotiations
Under the agreement during the 10
years the United States will have IS
capital ships, aggregating 525,s5O
tons; Great Britain, 20 ships, aggre-
eating $4,000, and Japan, 10 .mips,
aggregating 313,300 tons. This rep
resents a total of $4,000 tons for
Great Britain more than the United
states, which was allowed, the an
nouncement said, because of the age
of the older British battleships
Original Plan
Under the final arrangement the
United states will scrap the same
number OF capital ships as proposed
in the original American plan. The
so American vessels to be scrapped
under the original proposal had d
tonnage of $4,000, and those to be
scrapped under the present plan have
a tonnage of 100000. Japan will scrap
the same number as under the orig
inal plan, but the amended list SUP
stituting the old Setsu for the new
Mutsu makes the total tonnage to
be- scrapped by Japan 4s5. 900 tons, In
place of $4,000 tons in the original
plan.
England Scraps 81 Ships
Great Britain, which was to have
scrapped 10 capital ships under the
original plan, Is to give up % un-
der the revised arrangement but Will
build two new ships. The original
British tonnage to be scrapped under
the original proposal was $4,000, and
under the revised proposal will be
sos, 1000.
II was announced that the ma
val agreement, including that ON
naval buses and fortified tions,
probably would be incorporated
in a new treaty signed by the live
powers. No plenary sessiou of
the conference, 1t was stated,
would be held to consider the na-
val agreement until the entire
subject. including auxiliary ships,
WINS settled.
Under the agreement. 1t was Off
cially estimated that the Unite j
States would save from s15,000,00O "a
$50, 100000 over the original proposal
of the American government.
The total number of capital ships
to be retained by the three powers
under the first American figures was
Sc, and under the revised figures will
be 6S. The total tonnage to be
scrapped was 1,S7S.043 tons In the
original plan and is 1.SS1.643 tons in
the revised plan.