Explaining, today's _announeement of a Five-Power Con Americin opinion inclines toward London, as Washington was the scene of the last great naval conference and it is desired that there be no feeling that the enterprise an exclusively American out.
Sept. 17.
Observers here to-day foresaw] fan attempt tp abandon the ai ments of the Washington Conference of 1921 with regard to naval armaments Informal expressions indicate tha: Japan will prefer the 10-10-7 ratio to the old 5-5-3 for Great Britain, the United States and Japan respectively, while authoritative inion shows that France and Italy are regarding the conferene2 as having significance with regard to the identical limitation of the capital ships under the Washington French spokesmen have, however, replied to this in France and said specifically that such ratios are no: representative of the importance of the respective maritime interests.
It is reported to-day that the French and the Italians are likely] to support G the best site ference, Col, Henry L. Stimaon, Secretary of State, said' that, the naval discussions with England have reached a point where the questions. relating to naval armaments ere ready for consideration at a conference of all the naval Powers.
Colonel Stimson believed that the only question still outstanding is as to what calibre guns shall be mount certain classes of ships.
During the course of the pre-Jiminary conversations Great Britain demanded three 40,000-ton cruisers, but agreed to limit! herself 15 cruisers of 10,000 tons each.
'The United States' agreed to the: demand, although the American Government preferred a lower tonnage. There is still some question as to what portion of total tonnage the United States will devote to About 30,000 tons is stilt involved! in discussion as to whether the United States will have thr 10,000-ton cruisers or five of 6,00 tons.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.