New-York tribune., 1922-01-10
Arming of Merchantmen.
Above 10000 Tons Is
Prohibited; Guns Re-
strictcd TO Six Inches
Outbreak of War
Is Provided For
Each Nation Given Right
to Suspend Operation
OF Pact if Attacked

ASHlNGTON. Jan. 9 By The AS
soclatcd Press The draft treaty pre-
pared by naval and legal experts COZ
erng the iive-powcr contract for re-
duction and limitation of naval al,na.
ment was in the hands of the five dele
cations Tonight a jealously guarded
secret as to its text The various ia
uonal groups are understood TO have
been informed by Secretary hughes
that bo,n text and substance Of the
proposed pact were looked upon "a
highly confidential by the State Dc
p.iltment. YET enough information
leaked through the barriers Of silence
thus imposed to show that numerous
wholly new features are included in
the draft copy.
Among these. i; is understood. is q
proposal that the duration Of the pact
be until 1887. Another new item is the
proposal to limit The size of guns on
merchant ships to sN-inch caliber, as
, compared to the cightnch weapons
authorized for naval auxiliary craft
stu another is authority for the con-
struction of warships OH foreign ac-
count within the Jurisdiction Of the
i've powers provided the size limita
tions OH such ships laid down for the
five nations in the treaty are not cX-
cecded in building for an outside power
Contains Twenty mine Articles
The treaty begins with lengthy pre-
amblc setting forth the purpose OF the
bo t,4i Of oy-o1
TO the end that the burdens Of taxation
on the peoples Of the five countries may
be relieved The calling OF the confer
encc and its work arc briefly reviewed
IN The preamble, then follow the articles
OF the treaty. twenty IN number
and a mass OF appended matter te
which specific refcrcNcc is made IL the
various articles, in order 10 present
in detail the agreement covered i'll cacf
general statement Of the treaty proper
First among these general articles
stands that setting out the agreement
as to capital ships. Taken in conncc.
to be retained and ships to be scrapped
complete picture of the reduction
and subsequent limitation scheme al
ready agreed upon Is presented. The
specific understanding as to the "5
5-3" capital ship ratio between Grea
Britain, the United States and Japan
with it's later amplification to include
France and Italy. is understood to be
in the treaty itself, the agreed future
, tonnage status of 500 ,000-525, ,00O3l D..
! 000-l75 ,O00175 600. being set out. This
section was the keystone Of the nava
limitation arch.
Ships and Guns Limited
Next follows the agreement to limit
the size of future capital ships te
$4,000 tons and their main batteries tt
guns of not moro than 16-inch caliber.
The agreement to limit aggregate
tonnage in airplanc carriers, 10 Great
Britain $4,000; the United States
$4,000; Japan, $1,000: France. 60,000
and Italy. 60,000 follows, and includes
the 27,000-ton size limitation for car
ricrs and a new provision limiting then
armament to not more than ten S-lncf
guns ship, if 9-inch guns are used
but setting no limitation as to the num-
Der of guns ship if smaller weapons
are installed aboard them.
The agreement that auxiliary craft
other than aivpane carriers shall not
exceed 10000 tons in displacement and
that they shall not carry larger than
s-iuch guns comes next The 10000
ton size limitation is understood to be
held to apply to merchant craft con:
verted for war purposes, which would
prevent conversion Of commercial ships
Of greater tonnage.
Scrapping To Be Complete
The scrapping provisions as to capi.
tai ships come next, ana provide that
they must be so disposed Of that rc-
conversion for war purposes would be
impossible. A brief period of months
is contemplated as the time within
which the guns, turrets and other mill
tary equipment must be removed.
Wider latitude as to time is given
for ultimate complete disposition of
the ships themselves, however. The
experts have sanctioned six ways in
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