Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-01-09
ISSUE
At A DELICAT
STAGE; EXPECT
DECISION soon
Either a Settlement or an
Agreement to Disagree
viii Be Announced With
in the Next Few Days,
QUESTION OF ARMING
MERCHANTMEN IS UP
Some Delegates Are Study
ing This Question As It
May Relate to the Five
Power Naval Treaty,
lBy Tho AssocInted press.l

Washington, Jan. (by the AS
sociated Press. )-As the arms
conference prepared to begin discus
sion of the Eina1 draft of the five
power naval treaty, some dele
gates are studying the question of
arming merchant vessels as it may
relate to the agreement.
In no quarter is there apparent
a disposition to raise an issue which
might endanger the treaty at this
point in the negotiations, but
among foreign delegations 1t Is
predicted privately that the armed
ship problem will be one Of the
most difficult Of the collateral
questions to arise when the final
draft is gone over.
Italians, Japanese and French
all are said to feel that il mer-
chantmen are to be permitted TO
arm, the effect might be not only
to vitiate the project to limit in
dividual auxiliary warships to
10000 tons each, but it might also
result in a great disadvantage to
chant fleets.
Beyond saying that the status
of a merchant ship is to be the
status well Understood in interna-
tional law, the American and Brit
ish delegates are not willing to
discuss the subject 1t is the view
in some quarters, however, that
the British may bring the point up
for discussion.
Six-hour Sunday Session,
The subcommittee draft of the
treaty was virtually completed to-
night, after a six-hour Sunday ses-
sion of the naval experts, and the
full naval committee probably will
begin discussion of it tomorrow or
Tuesday. A plenary session to
make the treaty public probably
will fellow this week, and then thu
delegates will turn their full at
tention to unsettled far east ques-
tions.
Meantime, the Shantung contro-
versy remains in deadlock, but
hope of an agreement this week
was expressed in American quar-
ters. The mediation of Secretary
Hughes and Arthur J. Balfour is
looked on by the Americans and
British as almost certain to bring
the two groups together, although
this optimism is not shared by all
Chinese and Japanese delegates.
1t is evident that the Shantung
problem has been brought to a
delicate stage, where either
settlement or an agreement to dis.
agree will be announced within n.
few days.
The question of arming mer-
chantmen has arisen in connection
with the attempt Of the naval ex-
perts to include in the treaty a def
inition of the term "warship."
Such a definition is regarded by
the naval authorities as necessary,
particularly in view of the 10000
ton auxiliary limit and the related
provision prohibiting any auxiliary
craft from carrying guns of more
than eight-inch caliber.
Although no announcement was
made after today's meeting of the
experts. there were indications that
the attempt to define an auxiliary
warship was giving the committee
considerable trouble. In it, it is
said, is involved the question of
wartime relations between mer-
chant fleets and war fleets.
Position of Italians.
The position of the Italians was
Continued on Page Two.