Great Falls tribune., 1921-12-24
[ MAY
BRING ANOTHER
PARLEY ON ARMS
Feeling Growing inCon-
ference, Washington
Cannot Settle All.
All urther Steps Held
Up for Decision on
Abolition Proposal.

Washington, Dec. 23-(By The As
sociated Press. THE submarine prob
lem and the new four power treaty. the
one constituting the unfinished business
of the arms conference and the other
attracting increasing interest because
Of the difference in view between Pres
ident Harding and the American dele
CATION, divides the attentions OF the
plenipotentiaries of the powers as
sembled in Washington.
Within the arms conference proper,
the days only session was devoted to
q continuance of the debate over Great
Britains proposal to abolish the sub
marine. The discussion was not fin
ished and the conference, giving up
plans for an extended Christmas recess,
will meet again Saturday to consider
lit.
French Hold Their Breath
In the meantime. discussion of the
general question of auxiliary tonnage
allotments remains in abeyance, despite
the fact that additional instructions on
the subject reached the French delega-
ton Friday from Paris. The. French
bave taken the position that the aboll-
ton proposal should be carried to
decision before allotment details are
8akSH uV aRpti0Ati@s
point had been approved by the other
powers.
In replying to the British proposal
Friday. however, Admiral DeBon. chief
French naval expert, gave the confer
ence d glimpse of Frances position on
auxiliary tonnage by declaring no i'm
portant naval power could afford TO
maintain less than the 10000 tons OF
submarines proposed in the American
reduction plan for the United States
and Great Britain. The 90,O00-ton fig
IRE would be greatly in excess OF the
present French submarine strength and
would be three times the amount she
would have under an application of the
! ratio already agreed to as to capital
ships.
Want U. S. to Propose New Conference
Along with the submarine discus
sions there has developed proposal
that plans be made for some future
conference to include other nations
and take Up details Of auxiliary fleet
construction which some OF the dele
gates feel cannot be settled here. Ihe
Italians have taken the lead ID ad-
vocating such plan. and the Britlsh
are understood to have suggested tnat
the United States come forward with
!
President Hardings desire for con-
timing series Of international meet
ings.
It is the hope Of the conference
leaders that committee discussion of
the proposal for abolition of the sub
marine NAV be concluded Saturday and
in some quarters it is believed that al
fer Christmas the negotiations reiat-
ing TO the far east will be resumed
concurrently with the exchanges on
auxiliary naval tonnage. The Japanese
hone that by that time to have further
instructions which also will permit re-
sumption of the Shantung conversa-
tons.
BaIfour Says Subs ImperiI France
At Fridays meeting of the naval
committee Admiral De Bon presented
at great length the French viewpoint
regarding submarines, arguing that I'M
derwater craft not only were legiti-
mate weapons when properly used.
but that they have a defensive value
that make them indispensable to any
important naval nation.
Replying for Great Britain, Arthur
J. Balfour used illustrations drawn
from the experiences of France her
self during the world war to support
this argument against the submarine S
value as an arm of defense. lie added
that both France and Italy, who are
opDosing the British proposal, have
much to fear from the submarine if
employed in the fleet of an enemy IN
any future war.
Fall Back on Yankee Regulation
Throughout the argument however,
the American delegates professed to
see an increasing tendency to fall back
on the American proposal presented
Thursday for the drafting of an inter
national agreement which will make
impossible any ruthless use of the sub
marine. The exchanges have not yet
reached a point where formal express
sions on the proposal are possible, but
the Americans appear to believe that
in the end the whole subject will re-
solve itself into a proposition to regu-
late rather than to abolish.
The estimates as to auxiliary ton
mage received from Paris during the
day by the French delegates are close
ly guarded but they are known to call
for considerable more in submarines
and cruisers than would be allotted If
the capital ship ratios were applied
down through all classes of auxiliary
craft.
Dasire Is for Elastic Ratios
It is the view Of the French, how
ever, and apparently of some of the
other delegations, that such an appli-
catien of the proportionate strength
tables would be inadvisable, since diff
ferent powers have varying needs for
different .tlasses Of auxiliaries.
Friday Admiral DE Bon's address
{Continued ON PaE. Elevsn.)