The New York herald., 1921-12-16

| fortify their continental territory is
not affected.
While making known this fact the
attention of the American delegates
was called to a statement in New
| York paper to-day asserting that the
| four Power agreement negotiated by
the United States, Great Britain
France and Japan on Saturday last
| guarantees the territorial integrity OF
| Japan. This statement was seized
upon by the few Senators who are
! organizing to oppose ratification of
treaties resulting from conference de-
liberations as "a good talking point"
when discussion OF the new interna-
tional instruments are begun.
The only comment provoked i'm off,
cial circles by the publication of the
statement was that il was incorrect.
The American delegates in discussing
| it expressed the opinion that it was
much more of mole hill than a
mountain" They declared that the
new four Power treaty did not guar
antee anything to any of the sigma
tory Powers, nor confer exceptional
| privileges in the line of protection to
the Japanese or any other party TO
the treaty.
The treaty simply provides that the
high contracting Powers agree among
themselves to respect their rights and
insular possessions and insular do
minions in the region of the Pacific
Ocean," The Empire of Japan hap
pens to be an island, but the new
4xA txr
torial integrity nor pledge its asso-
ciates to provide military assistance
or go to it's rescue in any respect be-
yond communicating with zone an
other fully and frankly in order to ar
rive at an understanding as to the
most efficient measures to be taken,
Jointly or separately, to meet the eM-
gencies Of the particular situation"
| This clause of the new treaty is al
most identical with that contained in
| the resolution introduced by the late
Senator Knox during the fight on the
Versailles treaty.
Follows Hughes's Formula.
The American delegates did not pre-
| sent any explanation or advance any
Interpretation of the third agreement
reached by the United States, Great
Britain and Japan providing for a
naval holiday Of ten years beyond not
ing the exception to enable Great Brit
ain to construct capital ships provided
under the revised plan finally agreed
upon. This agreement, which will be
fitted into the full naval treaty agreed
upon, is precisely the same as that
proposed by Mr.. Hughes at the open
ing session Of the conference.
Far Eastern affairs continued to en-
gage the attention Of the general COM
mittee considering Asiatic problems
and its subordinate bodies to-day, but
without definite results. The Japanese
and Chinese delegates devoted the en-
tire day to discussion of the terms pro-
posed by China for restoration of the
Kiaou-Chow railway properties in the
Shantung peninsula. The only infor-
nation bearing on this phase of the
controversy was that Japanese dele
gates demanded more substantial
guarantees for the payment of her
claims on the railways than their
Chinese associates have been able to
offer up to date.
The fate of the negotiations has
hinged for days on this feature of the
controversy. The position of Japan is
that China must provide satisfactory
guarantees for the payment Of the
Japanese bills against the railway be-
fore any agreement is possible. The
Chinese delegates are making a heroic
effort to comply with the Japanese
conditions, although they regard them
as too arbitrary.
A group of Chinese bankers has
offered to underwrite the financing of
the japanese claims, but apparently
the terms have not been acceptable to
the representatives of the Mikado's
Government. American and British
banking interests are beginning to
take hand in the matter and the
American delegates believe that a sat
isfactory arrangeme nt will be made
within the next two or three days.
Until some sort of settlement Is
effected, or the Chino-Japanese 'con-
versations' are broken off, the exact
degree Of progress made in straighten-
ing out other tangles in the Chinese
situation cannot be determined.
The American delegates tonight
would not venture a guess as to the
date of the next plenary session OF the
conference. They said one might be
called for Saturday "if the naval sit
uatlon has sufficiently advanced to
.oporlete a General agreement on the