Paris, Jan. 8.
Aw -end of intense but inserutable tivity is likely to follow the decision of the Conference of Allied Finance Ministers that the proceed-tugs shall be private till January 12.
'A scheme was discussed by Mr. Winston Churchill and M. Clementei this morning, and later the plenary meeting of the Conference whereby the questions before the Conference are classified as wrajor and minor~ problems. The former nelude the American Purations claim, Ruhr, accountancy and Belgian prio These wil be discussed by the Brivain, France, Belgium, the Unit States, Italy and Japan, daring the week-end with a view to u'r penditure thereby involved to conflict with his. financial policy.
Mr, Wilbur reiterated that annual expenditure of $110,000,000 for 10 years would bring up the whole Navy to the 5/5/3 ratio, but invisted that the ratio would be achieved by the completion of the repairs to the battleship Florid He added that the British and American navies were of equall tonnage but the American ships were two knots slower, due to the policy of the American architects putting weight into the armour and guns instead of increasing the engine-power. The British guns, he concluded, outdistanced the Amer-can by 1,500 yards.—Reuter's Am-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.