The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-12-17
WASHINGTON IS
HOPEFUL over
NAVAL Farley
Capital Refuses to Shout
Optimism, but Visions
Some Benefits.
WATCHFUL OF BRITAIN
Three-PoWer Agreement Is
Viewed as Likely by
Observers.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SIMMS,
Scripps- Howard Foreign Editor

Seripps- Howard Foreign Editor
What does Washington think of
the five-power naval limitation con-
ference which will convene in Lon
don next month?
Several weeks spent talking to
congressman and officials generally
in the national capital should make
a composite picture fairly easy and
also fairly accurate. Here are
some of the things the writer found
out:
1. Officials generally express their
satisfaction that the conference is
to be held and hope it will succeed,
2. A large majority are confident
that an understanding between
Great Britain and the United States
will be reached, and that the con-
ference will be distinctly worth
While If it does nothing else.
3. An almost equally large ma
jority look for a three-power agree
ment between the United States,
Britain and Japan, even if France
and Italy fail to patch up mutual
dltterences or see their way clear
to fall in line with the others.
Unit OH Parity
4. Congress appears to be a unit
on the question of naval parity with
Britain, and a general desire is
voiced that this may be achieved by
Britain scaling down to our tonnage
rather than forcing us to build up
to hers.
5. The belief exists, however. that
there is little or no chance of Bril-
tain reducing to our scale in cruis-
ers, as $4,000 tons is the lowest fig
ure yet mentioned by her and our
present fleet totals less than half
that
Including the fifteen new cruisers
under construction or contemplated.
we would have only approximately
100000 tons. This program, 1t is
believed, will have to be carried out.
regardless of what happens at Lon
don.
g. Fear is expressed in some quar-.
tiers that Britain may succeed in
arranging parity with America
which will not be parity at all. save
on paper. That is to say, if parity
is based upon size and type cruiser
which suits her, given her strategi-
caIly located naval bases, such ships
Tor us would be waste of money.
since we have only two naval bases
worthy of the name outside our
home waters.
Step Toward Peace
7. Similarly, a majority of the
officials seem to feel that even with
real parity in fighting ships, the
United States still would be vastly
outranked as naval power by
Great Britain, thanks to her far
flung chain Of naval bases and her
superior merchant marine.
8. Most members of congress- re.
gard the London conference purely
as just one step in the direction of
naval peace, since it will tackle only
one phase of the problem, namely
ship-building limitation.
9. Many agree with Senator Borah
that freedom Of the seas is the real
cruX Of any lasting naval under
and that a second confer
ence to consider this problem should
be called as soon as possible after
that at London adiournS.
They believe a code of interna-
tlonal law should be worked out to
govern the use of the seas by bel
igerents and neutrals in time of
war.
View Of Skepticism
10. Opinion differs with regard to
oattleship replacement due in 1881
and which almost certainly will be
AIKEN up at London. Some emphat-
cally favor building new ones of the
present size, namely, $4,000 tons.
others insist they may be limited
% 10000 or $4,000, or even 10000
,ons.
A few believe they safely could
De abolished, provided all nations
10 the same, leaving the 10,000-ton
cruisers as the largest fighting craft
a1oat.
By and large, it will be seen, Q
'ein of skepticism runs through
oflcialdom, so far az
naval reduction Is concerned. The
most important results expected by
most are some sort of limitation
md a cessation OF the pickering
which has been going on for years