The New York herald., 1922-01-27
SAYS FRANCE CAN'T
CUTO OFF COLONIES
Admiral de Bon Cites Loss Of
India and Canada as an
Analogy.

Instead of being censured for her
stand in the arms conference France
should be credited with having made
great sacrifices and proved her sincere
devotion to the cause OF peace, Admiral
Ferdinand j. j. dc Bon said at the
Hotel Pennsylvania yesterday.
The white bearded Admiral who IS
his country's naval delegate at the con-
ference. was the guest at n reception
given by French and Franco-American
societies. He talked of the practical
difficulties of reducing naval strength
as viewed by an offi:er of long exreri-
ence. He spoke especially Of the sub
marine.
France, he said had gone the limit
In agreeing TO restrict her capital ships
to 175.o00 tons and her cruisers and
light craft to 100000 tons, but to ask
her to get along with thirty submarines.
only six of which would be stimuli
taneously available for sea duty, was
to ask the impossible
He said that France was asked to
subscribe to IL convention which would
have ended her existence as naval
Power. Ali France wishes. the Admiral
set forth, is Freedom to .iayc about
twenty submarines In active service.
He wanted the world To realize the
extent of the French colonial problem
a colonial population of 60,000,000 o,
against 40.000000 at home. a colonial
acreage of 100000 square kiloneters,
as compared with the 100000 of the
United States. France, the worlds
second colonial Power was dependent
for her life upon communication with
her colonies.
France at present has only fifty sub
marines" he continued, land must build
forty more to carry out her plans. Since
the beginning of the war she has built
but five. while since the armistice tho
United States has built forty-four and is
laying down forty-two more. and Great
Britain has built forty-one.'
He acked. why does France want a
navy?" and answerc by saying that
her long shore line had always made
one necessary and that when she lost
first place among sea powers she also
lost her finest colonies, Canada and
India.
1--WE hear IL said' he added, that
France has no more enemies on the sea,
but to this we might answer that the
United States. Great Britain and Japan
have likely no more enemies on the sea
than France has"
The Admiral said that since the
armistice France had built only 1000
LUIS ioT HeT navy, dS dBdiIist LII t,VVV
for the United States, 100000 for Great
Britain and $4,000 for Japan. The
figures showed. he said. that France had
been "the most thrifty and the wisest
Of all countries" from a naval point of
view.
Antoine Bordes. president OF the
Franco-American Maritime and Colonial
League. Inc, presided over the meet
ing. Others at the reception we're the
presidents OF these societies: Henri
Gourd, French Chamber of Commerce |;
Frank ID. Pavey, Alliance Franchise !:
Emil Utard, Franco-American Board of
Commerce and Industry: McDougal
Hawes, French Institute In the United
States; Theo Seltzer. Association of
Alsace and Lorraine Eugene Amiot
French War Veterans: Lucien Jouvaud,
French Benevolent Society, and Felix
Levy French Maternal School.
Others present were CASTOR Liebert,
French Consul General. who introduced
the Admiral Capt. Obert OF the French
liner Lorraine the Rev. Father Arcibal.
pastor OF the Church of Notre Dame,
and cadets from the French schoolship,
jacques Cartier.
Admiral dc Bon will sail for France
tomorrow on La Lorraine.