Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1921-12-19
MONDAY. DECEMBER ~. 1921.
FRANCE AND THE CONFERENCE

FRANCE AND THE CONFERENCE
The startling demand which.
according TO news dispatches.
France has made for Navy
which in the next ten years will
be equal to that OF Japan in capital
ship tonnage, has prccipitatcd a
crisis i'll the negotiations OF the
Limitation of Armament Confer
cnce in w ashington which
threatens to nullify the whole
naval program. Unfortunately it
has been presented at time when
the representatives OF America.
England and Japan have just ar
rived at an understanding on the
5-5-3 program OF Secretary
Hughes. and has caused the in
definite postponement OF its adop-
ton.
This is the second time that the
Farley has been confronted with
a situation which threatened to,
render its efforts void. The first
arose when the representatives OF
Japan objected to sending their
battleship, the "Mutsu." to the
scrap-heap as was contemplated
i'll the 5-5-3 Naval ratio proposal
which was laid before the Con-
ference at its opening session by
Secretary Hughes. This qucs
ton of the Aiutsu was an OK
trcmcly delicate one 10 meet. for
not only the official representa-
tivcs but the public sentiment of
Japan desired To keep the pride
of their Navy" and this natural
aspiration had to be adjusted so
rs to meet the requirements OF
the 5-5-3 ratio in tonnage and al
the same time retain the relative
proportions OF gunpoWcr and
speed between the Navies OF the
respective countries.
1t was finally arranged that
Japan should keep the Mutsu and
scrap the Sctsu. and to balance II,
addition the United States should
complete two ships OF the Mary
land type. possibly the Colorado
and West Virginia. and scrap the
North Dakota and Delaware;
while England was to build two
battleships OF the Royal Sovereign
class. scrapping I drcadnaughts.
or as an alternative to build TIVE
Super-HoodS. scrapping / old
dreadnaughts and one battle
cruiser OF the Tiger type.
However. this first crisis has
hardly been disposed of when
France causes another and more !
serious one by demanding that
She be allowed to construct ten
$4,000 ton Super-drcadnaughts III
the ten years following 1928. /
These vessels. which would be OF |
the L. :. battlcship Mary land /
class, would give France $4,000
tons in capital ships rs compared |
to lapan's $4,000 tons Not only /!
this. but these ten ships. being
of modern or post Jutland" con- (
struction, would give France an
advantage over all the nations |
represented in the Conference +
France 1T present has capital /
ship tonnage OF 10000. SO that
her new demand represents AM
increase Of 10 percent in naval
strength.
When We take into conSidcra-i
ton the present state OF the
French treasury and the fact that
these new ships would cost. APP
proximately. S5O.O00OO0. the
world naturally wonders why
France wants these ships. espe-
ciallv when her stand regarding
them threatens the very life OF
the present conference. How
ever. it Is to be borne in mind
that France has been through
hell-hre more than once in her
dealings with neighboring ma
tons, and il IS but natural that
she should be loath 10 take any
thing for granted when the ques
ton of lessening her fighting
strength is involved in the present
parley. France bore the brunt Of