Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-01-09
SHIPS
BECOME ISSUE
IN NAVAL PACT
Arming of Merchant
Craft Raises Question
to Adjust Sub Curb.
Hughes and Balfour Ex-
pected to Bring Shan
tung to Settlement.

Washington, Jan. S.-(By The Asso-
ciated Press).-As the arms conference
prepares to begin discussion of the
final draft Of the five-power naval
treaty. some delegates are studying the
question of arming merchant vessels as
it NAV relate to the agreement.
In no quarter is there apparent
dispositon to raise an issue which
might endanger the treaty at this point
in the negotiations, but among foreign
delegations it is predicted privately
that the armed ship problem will be the
most difficult of the collateral ques-
tions to arise when the final draft Is
gone over.
Italians, Japanese and French all are
said to feel that if merchantmen are
to be permitted to arm. the effect might
be not only to vitiate the project to
limit individual auxiliary warshlps to
10000 tons each, but it might also re-
suit in great disadvantage to the
nations which have small merchant
fleets.
Beyond saying that the status. Of a
merchant ship is to be the status well
understood in international law, the
American and Britis hdelegates are not
willing to discuss teh subject. 1T is
teh view in some quarters, however.
that the Britis hmay bring the point
I'D for discussion.
Draft of Naval Treaty Ready
The SUBJ committee draft of the
treaty was virtually complete Sunday
night, after six-hour Sunday session
of the naval experts and the full naval
committee probably will begin discus
sion Of it Monday or Tuesday. A
plenary session to make the treaty pub
lie probably will follow this week and
then the delegates will turn their full
attention to unsettled far eastern ques-
tions.
Meantime. the Shantung controversy
remains in deadlock, but hope of an
agreement this week was expressed in
American quarters. The mediation of
Secretary Hughes and Arthur J. Bal
four is looked on by the Americans
and British as almost certain to bring
the two groups together. although this
optimism is not shared by the Chinese
and Japanese delegates
1t is evident that the Shantung
problem has been brought to deli
cate state, where either a settlement
or an agreement to disagree will be
announced within few days.
May Need Merchantmen Curb
The uestion Of arming qmerchantmen
has arisen in connection with the at
tempt of the naval experts to include
in the treaty definition Of the term
"warship.' Such a definition is re-
garded by the naval authorities as
necessary, particularly in view Of the
10009-ton auxiliary limit and the re-
lated provision prohibiting any aux
iliary craft from carrying guns Of more
than S-inch calibre.
Although no announcement was made
after Sundays meeting of the experts.
there were indications that the attempt
to define an auxiliary warship was CIV
ing the committee considerable trouble.
In it, it is said, is involved the ques-
tion Of wartime relations between
merchant fleets and war fleets.
Japs and italians Raise Point
The position of the Italians was said
t" be that the status of merchant
ship would be effectually changed un-
der the limitation agreement, and that
il no change were provided for. the
nations having the greatest merchant
tonnage would become in the nature
of things disproportionately powerful
The arming with 12-inch or inch
guns of 54,OO0-ton merchant ship
like the Leviathian, it is pointed out
would have a tendency to undermine
the 1O,0OO-ton, S-inch auxiliary clause
unless armed merchantmen are to be
considered as warships.
The japanese are also described as
believing that the status of merchant
ships must be considered in connection
with the general naval question.
Although the French give evidence
Of holding similar. views and also of
being uncertain whether merchantmen
could arm under the new regulation
prohibiting submarine attacks on com
mercc, they say they do not intend to
raise the point at this stage of the