The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-10
new PACT SECRET
Five Powers Are Studying the
Terms of Navy Limitation.
Thursday or Friday to See
Final Agreement.
MAY EXTEND THE HOLIDAY
Merchant Ship Definition Still
Greatest Problem Up.
Delegates Now Push Shantung
Question to Settlement.

Washington, Jan. 0.-Difficulties
in the adjustment of the five-powered
naval treaty and more particularly In
connection with the Far East side of
-the armament conference. have arisen
in such numbers as to make it virtual
ly certain the parley will continue
well towards the END of January, It
was learned today.
Arthur J. Balfour head of the Brit
fish delegation, who had planned to
Asail for England on Saturday, has can
celled his passage and will remain in
4 Washington another ten days at least.
Washington, Jam 10.-Delegations
of the five naval powers continued to-
3 day their separate study of the draft
.-treaty prepared by naval and legal ex-
perts to cover their naval limitation
agreement, preliminary to a meeting
later in the day of delegation heads
to compare opinions on detailed pro-
visions Of the draft.
The treaty was given to the several
delegations for study late yesterday
and the time required for this caused
IA postponement of the meeting OF
Elthe full naval committee originally
planned for today until tomorrow. The
szcommittee was expected however, to
Breach final agreement on the text
within two or three days and the
treaty to be ready for publication to
@the world at a plenary session of the
conference on Thursday or Friday.
Treaty Kept Secret.
& Atho a carefully guarded secret in
both substance and text, the tentative
draft is understood to include num-
3 Der of wholly new features, chief
Namong these a proposal to extend the
duration of the pact until 1887; this
-not to affect. however, the ten-year
period of the naval holiday.
Another new provision would au-
thorize construction OF warships on
foreign account within the jurisdiction
of the five powers, the size limitations
of such ships to conform with those in
the treaty.
Attic it was expected these provi-
sions would be finally accepted the
merchant ship problem vas still one
of the questions of definition which
E5were understood to be the chief con-
Germ of the delegates in their efforts
to agree on a wording acceptable to
every one.
Push Far East Program.
ia With the armament program Of the
conference nearing final disposition,
-the delegates were prepared today to
far eastern discussion and to this end
it was apparent that the Shantung
4 negotiations were being turned into
new channels with revived hopes of
agreement.
The nature of the latest move had
-not been revealed, but both the Chi
pese and Japanese implied that new
and promising elements had been in
Sected into the negotiations. Believ-
ing that the other remaining elements
of discord in the Far East were not
of a nature to lead to extended de-
bate, some of the delegates were opti-
mistic regarding the outlook as to pre-
dict a plenary session for Saturday or
Monday to announce completion of
THE far eastern treaty.
= Arthur J. Balfour, head of the Brit
fsh delegation, had completed definite
arrangements today to sail for home
next Tuesday and his colleagues on
the. delegation said it was entirely
probable that he would sign the far
eastern agreement before his depart
s,-ure.