Douglas daily dispatch., 1927-06-23
Disarmament
CONTINUED from Page One)

L\AOAA11ACAAAANA4
Continued from Page One)
number of 10000 ton cruisers with
cight-inch guns to be allowed eacn
power is fixed and the Recommended
ton to limit the size of destroyers and
submarines. 1t was pointed out, how
ever, that the proposal does not provide
for a tonnage total for cruisers such as
stipulated in the Gibson plan.
I GENEVA, June % (P1.-The tripar-
tite naval conference is believed to
have gone far enough to indicate that
, the Americans expect no insuperable
difficulties in establishing a reasonable
proportionate cruiser strength as be-
tween the United States and Japan.
The Japanese positively shrink from
talking in terms of ratio, which IN
Washington has been fixed for battle
ships as five for the United States ana
three for Japan japanese sensitive
ness on the question of Information
superiority is forcing her delegation TO
fight against putting ratio figures IN
the projected treaty that would place
Japan in position of inferiority.
Japan was expected to accept crtll-
ESer tonnage, however, which Wou1o
place her in only slightly better pro-
portion than 5-3, namely, Tor Uhe
United States and 3.4 for Japan
This proportion has emerged from
the discussions which Hugh S. Gibson
head of the American delegation, had
with Admiral Saito, of the japanese
AVaI CfQf1Sf1HS
which were prepared, based on the
Japanese Interpretation OF the results
of the operation of a project Wnlcn
Saito submitted ITO the conference
In the meantime there is Shaping
possible solution of the second grave
problem of the conference = Great
Britain's desire to reopen and trans
form at Geneva the fundamental pro-
visions of the Washington naval
treaty. including the size of battleshlps,
cruisers and aircraft carriers.
In this connection it was pointed out
that the recent trans Atlantic tllgnCS
Of Lindbergh and Chamberlin had
raised the question whether. alrplanc
carriers should not be increased IN size
and number to meet the rapidly ievel-
oping speed of inter continental ar
communication. @
The American delegation is clearly
opposed to any direct reconslderatlol1
of the Washington agreement WIFI
France and Italy, the two signatorles
for parties to the present parleys, put
may attempt to meet British ambltlons
half way by suggesting such resolu-
ton as the foregoing, with the ldea
that building program on which no
immediate speed was necessary. coulc
be held in allegiance until the ASeconc
Washington conference.
Another primal difficulty raised by
the British plan has yet found no
likely solution That is British repug-
nance to establishing total tonnage 1or
auxiliary war craft, the British merely
wishing to fix the size OF indlvlduaI
warships and their total number.
If the Japanese plan were accepted 1t
would give Great Britain a consider
ably higher percentage OF war craft
than the United States and some way
must be found in juggling all three
plans to establish parity on paper at
least between the two Anglo-SaXon
nations, leaving the American people 10
decide whether they wish to build UP
to the treaty declared parity.
If the danger seems to have been
inomentarily averted concerning the
fixation of fairly satisfactory cruiser
ratio as between the United States and
japan. great difficulties remain con-
corning the concluding part OF the
japanese project, acceptance OF which
would permit Japan to construct all
submarines without limit as we'll as
aircraft carriers under 10000 tons ana
surface ships having speed OF Hnaer
20 knots, the guns of which would not
exceed six inches.
Meanwhile, the merry battle OF
words continues between the British
and American, delegations concerning
the fighting value of converted mer-
chantmen. Rear Admiral Hilary +,
Jones declines to accept the Brltlsn
contention as suggested by w. 3.
Bridgeman, first lord OF the BRUSH
admiralty, that an armed Mauretanla
would be merely an eggshell target
Abiding to the British proposal to
reduce the size of cruisers to $500 tons,
Admiral Jones told newSpapermen tnaC
the more one reduces the size OF
cruisers the more the cruisers become
eggshells. The American admiral de-
clared that some fast converted liners
mounting six-inch guns could ne as
dangerous as some cruisers, and even
more dangerous, because they can
mount more guns than the cruisers.
"You can shoot any number of holes
through big liners" he explained,
without damaging them, because their
machinery is below water line, and be-
cause their plating if often thicker
than that of some cruisers"
The significance of this Anglo-SaHon