The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1922-01-04
ARMS CONFERENCE
NEARING ITS END
Middle OF Month May See
Adjournment
EASTERN PROBLEMS
STILL UNSOLVED
In Spite of Apparent DcadIocks, For
eign Delegates Think Conference
VIII Have Adjourned by Middle OF
Month and are Preparing TO Leave.

! A anu ahc IIepATing 10 Leave.
washington, Jan. 1.-The arms con
ference begins the new year with most
OF its members looking towards a final
adjournment two weeks hence desnitc
the prospect Of having yet to clear
away several troublesome issues
! one Of the American delogates pre-
ulctcd today that the five power naval
limitation treaty would be put into
llnal form during the coming week. and
mat IN the week following a settle
ment would be effected covering the
Far Eastern field. The same exnoc-
tation was echoed in the foreign
delegatlon, most Of whose members
already have made definite plans to
leave Washington about mid-,January
tendency to press the negotiations
to conclusion, even if some of the
orlslnal hopes for accomplishment
nave to go by the board, is evident
now in many quarters The delegates
arc said to feel that seven weeks Of
discussion have quite fully developed
powers and that little is to be gained
now by prolonging debate on points
that have brought to light serious di-
visions Of opinion
TO Work Today
In pursuance Of this policy. the na-
val experts who are ironing out ut,-
tails Of the naval limitation plan,
will disregard the New Years holiday
tomorrow and spend the day in the
technical adjustment remaining to
be formulated and to cover such qucs-
tons as methods OF replacement and
scrapping, and there is a general
feeling that the end of the week may
see another plenary session of the
conference for announcement of IA
formal FIVE power treaty covering the
naval limitation scheme
At the same time, announcement
may be made Of the new six power
treaty partitioning the former Ger
man cable properties in the Pacific
This instrument has not yet received
the formal approval OF all the inter
Iested nations, but the delegates seem
confident that unanimous assent will
not be long delayed
The Far Eastern problems, which
will enter their period Of intensive
discussion next week, promise to de-
vclope some difficult issues. The Shan
tung, negotiations are deadlocked, the
Chinese request for conference dis
cussion Of the 81 demands Is meeting
with determined opposition from the
Japanese and the Siberian situation
has come suddeny into prominence
through publication tonight OF alleged
secret understandings between the
Japanese and the French concerning
a Japanese policy toward Siberia.
Protest From Chita
An unofficial commission sent to
the conference by the Far Eastern re-
public Of Chita, Siberia, made public
the alleged secret agreements OF the
French and JaDancse governments.
| They were promptly denied by both
the French and Japanese plenfpoten-
tiaries, who denounced the documcn-
tary evidence presented by the Far
Eastern commission rs constituting
forgery" and "malcious falsehoods."
Whether the accusation will come
formally before the arms conference
Is uncertain, since the Far Eastern
representatives not only are not men,
bcrs Of the conference but are speak
ing for an unrecognized government
The Siberian situation, however, is
On the agenda for the Far Eastern dis
cussions and when it is taken up for
consideration the Chinese or some
other delegation may inject the Far
Eastern charges into tho formal nego-
tiations. If plenary session Is hold
this week 1t Is not impossible that
it's program may include ratification
of some clarifying instrument to
define the scope Of the four power
Pacific treaty with reference to the
principal Japanese islands. Negotia-
tions for such Qualification are pro-
ceeding, the Americans having given
assurances that they will not oppose
a Japanese plan to declare that the
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