Evening star., 1921-11-04

Simple words 10 not always have
official title of the big conference is
Limitation Of Armament" Porularlr
the gathing has been enormously
called a disarmament conference" !"
What's the difference between dis
armament and .'limitetion of arma-
ment"? President Harding and his
associates haperdeclarcd they do not
believe tn complete disarmament
the scrapping of all armies and
navies. They believe 1t impracticable.
America would never disarm alone.
Nor would the rest of the world be
likely to do SO. As we'll might cities
agree to abolish fire departments
because the number Of fires were
gradually being diminished.
Mr.. Harding feels that police
words. II armament should be re-
duced it should never pass below
the line of domestic safety. But
while disarmament isn't intended. it
is also interesting to reveal the fact
that Limitation OF armament" has a
technical meaning in naval parlance
and so has reduction of armament"
as lawyers toward legal phrases.
They have reasoned it out that limi-
tation Of. armament. for instance.
means scrapping ships now in service
but really obsolete. Each navy has a
number of such vessels. Once they
they are relegated to the rear. but
every nation keeps sailors on them
and spends a lot of money in MAIN
tenance. No one nation likes to
throw away these obsolete ships if
the other nations keep them. So
limitation would mean abolishing by
common consent the expense of
obsolete ships. That could of course
be accomplished without any special
agreement about new construction.
It's the least that the coming con-
ference can DO.
Merchant Ships Problem.
As for reduction Of armament"
this term means actually limiting the
building and limiting new appropria-
tions only to the replacement Of obso-
lete ships. A special convention or
treaty would fix the period Of obso.
lescence so that vessel built in 1921
could, for example, be automatically
replaced in 1881, and so on.
The American Navy is anxious to
take the leadership in proposing a
program not only of Limitation. but
reduction. But the problem is not as
easy as a defiriLion of terms might
appropriations? And does it refer
to: Inventions? II the Limitation is in
terms Of money some nation might
invent a new agency of warfare which
would be inexpensive. but which
would absolutely alter the relative
strength Of existing navies. Fur
thermore, what about the merchant
day are potentially valuable as COM
merce destroyers. Guns can be mount
ed on their decks in a few weeks. and
they can be converted into warships.
England has the biggest merchant
marine. America has q vast number
wants to limit the building Of ships
used for commercial purposes. Yet
some agreement must be made as to
the conve.s sion Of those merchantmen
in time of war.
So the public can rest assured of
one thing-the United States doesn't
intend to scrap it's Army and Navy
demand that America set the others
a good example. America means to
force curtailment Of armament
building. On that score the United
States has an advantage. For II the
rest Of the world will not agree to
quit spending. money for useless ar
mament the United States will find
itself compelled slowly to build the
most powerful navy afloat That may
sound like an empty threat. but 1t is
a fact that our officials believe Amer
lea will have no alternative. and that
IL the other nations fail to limit their
programs the United States will be
In q good position to continue her
naval construction.
Money Biggest COnsideration.
America, Is not actuated alone. how
ever, by the desire to see the chances
Of war minimized by general reduc-
tion of naval power. The United States
would like to see the other countries
cut down 80 that enormous sums now
spent on armies and navies could be
better devoted to the upbuilding of
the economic strength Of each coun-
try. Furthermore, IL less money were
spent on armament. less money would
have to be raised by the Europeans
to. meet their tag bile end the price
(Censinued on Page 2. Column So
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