New York, Feb. 7.
If Japan does not reply to the Notes presented by the United States, Britain and France demanding publication of Japan's naval building plans before February 20, or gives an. unsatisfactory reply, "there can be no doubt that our Government will move promptly and in the interests of our own national defence to waive naval construction limitations now in force," the "New York Times" predicted here to-day.
The "Times" said there were profound reasons for hoping that Japan would reply to the Notes in same spirit in which "a legitima question" has been put, and particularly for hoping that Japan "will wish to take advantage of our proposal for a fresh discussion of the whole naval construction question."
The Notes handed Japan, the newspaper stated, were "straight" forward requests for information of legitimate and urgent interest to this country." The association of France, Britain and the United States in delivering nearly identical Notes, the paper said, should not arouse suspicion in Japan of some covert move, "but an effort to comply in complete good faith with the terms of a most important treaty which would limit naval armaments."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.