Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-07-14
Naval Farley
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chief delegate to the conference. Mr..
Bridgeman also suggested the session
arranged for Monday. This was cam
celled and to the minds of everybody
in Geneva this was fortunate because
of the high state of tension then
existing.
Mr.. Gibson, who has been reserved
and cautious throughout his confer
ence with newspaper men and has
declined to be drawn into criticism
of proposals made either by the Brit
iSh or Japanese, observed this same
caution at today'S meeting with the
press.
None of the French correspondents
sought Mr. Gibson's opinion as to
whether tomorrow's plenary session
| should be interpreted as assuring a
more hopeful turn in the negotiations.
giving some of his hearers the i'm
preston that he himself was not sure
about tomorrow's developments. the
American chief delegate answered that
he preferred not to interpret until
he saw what was said tomorrow
Mr.. Gibson denied categorically that
the American delegation ever demand
ed treaty authority to possess 25
10000 ton cruisers. This statement
was in response that he confirm or
repudiate a report en1anating from
some circles in Geneva that such a
demand was impeding an accord with
the British. A confession of inability !
to predict a date for the conclusion
of the conference was made by Mr..
Gibson, who added:
81 would give large prize to any
body who could tell when it will
come to an end"
Many naval experts at the confer /
ence are indignant over reports that /
they are struggling for inordinately |
large navies. In this connection the t
American position is said to be one F.,
of genuine repugnance to program
for expansion.
The belief is expressed that even
il numerous warshipS were constructed
there would be the greatest difficulty
in inducing congress to maintain
powerful fleet because of the tre-
mendouS expense alone in paying per-
scnnel. The experts say it is likely
that unnecessary cruisers would event.
ually be tied up at the docks, just I
as numerous destroyers created during /
the 1917 war time rush. are tied up
at present and suffering deterioration. 4
In American headquarters there IS I
persistent hope that the British !
will eventually reduce their cruiser
figures to point lower than would
permit of collapse of the conference.
WASHINGTON, July 13 @-More
hopeful indications of progress at
the Geneva three-power naval llmlta-
ton conference came in official ad-
vices today although there was no i
suggestion so far as could be learned
that even tentative agreements on
the cruiser problem had yet been
arrived at among the experts OF the
three governments.
The most encouraging sign from
the American viewpoint was the ap-
parent elimination in the present
stage Of the technical discussions OF
the high cruiser tonnage estimates
heretofore presented by the British.
Indications we're that the new con-
VerSatiOnS reVOlVed around PFo-
posaI to lump cruiser and destroyer
tonnage together at a total of between
100000 and 100000 tons in such
way as to reduce the actual cruiser
tonnage to between 100000 and 35O,OOO
tons.
So far as these tonnage figures
are concerned, there was little doubt
that American assent could be OBJ
tained provided satisfactory agree
ments as to the proportion OF the
cruiser tonnage which could be used
for ships of 10000 ton size were
included and also provided that there
was no drastic restriction OF the size.
of the guns to be used on smaller
vessels. American naval opinion has
insisted upon maintaining the maxi !