CONFERENCE ON THE LIMITA

TION OF ARMAMENTS, also called Washington Conference, a conference called by President Harding in 1922 as a result of a resolution pa ed in Congre in June of that year calling for an international conference on the limitation of armaments. President Harding having ascertained the attitude of the Great Powers and finding them agreeable i ued invitations on August 11, 1921, for these Powers to send delegates or representatives to attend such a conference. Originally the subject to be discu ed was limited to naval armaments, but the program of the conference was broadened to include matters relating to the Far East, as these were considered conditions which most threatened misunderstanding. The program or agenda of the conference as submitted by the United States included limitation of naval armaments; rules for the control of new agencies; limitation of land armament; questions relating to China, including territorial integrity, administrative integrity, and the open door conce ions; development of railways; railroad rates, the status of existing commitments, and questions relating to Siberia and China, Another item related to mandated islands. Although some objection was first raised by Japan to consideration of question relating to her interests in the Far East, that country later agreed to the agenda. Tho countries represented by delegates were the United States, Great Britain, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India, China, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and Portugal. The British delegation was headed by A. J. Balfour; the French by Aristide Briand, Premier; Italian by Senator Carlo Schanzer; the Japanese by Baron Kato; the Netherlands by H. A. Van Kernbeeck; the Portuguese by Viscount da'Alte, minister to the United States, and the Chinese by the minister, Mr. Alfred Sze. The American delegates were Charles E. Hughes, Secretary of State; Senator Henry Cabot Lodge; Elihu Root, former Secretary of State, and Senator Oscar W. Underwood. The first se ion was held in Washington, on November 12. The conference was opened by a speech of welcome by President Harding in which he outlined its papers On the second day of the se ion Secretary Hughes electrified the conference, and indeed, the world, by recommending drastic reductions in naval construction, and the destruction of a larger part of the navies then in being. He promised the consent of the United States to this program. Tho delegates to the other countries in the days following agreed to practically all the suggestions by Secretary Hughes. The conference did not consider the limitation of land armament, finding too strong an objection on the part of France to such a proposal. There was objection, too, on the part of France to any considerable limitation in the number of submarines and small craft. With these objections, the program of the conference went through, although with considerable discu ion, practically as contained in the agenda. The treaties prepared and signed at the conference were as follows: Treaty on the limitation of naval armaments; treaty limiting submarines and noxious gases; the four power Pacific treaty; treaties on Chinese policies and customs tariff signed by nine powers. The treaty on the limitation of naval armaments provided for navies of the following strength: United States, not exceeding 525,000 _ tons; British Empire, 525,000 tons; France, 175,000 tons; Italy, 175,000 tons; Japan, 315,000 tons. This treaty contained provisions for the replacing and scrapping of ships. The treaty on limiting submarines and noxious gases provided for regulations for submarine warfare and prohibited the use in war of asphyxiating, poisonous or other gases. The four-power Pacific treaty, signed by Great Britain, the United States, France, Italy and Japan provided that the respective powers agreed, as between themselves, to respect their rights in relation to their insular po e ions and insular dominions in the region of the Pacific Ocean. In consideration of the pa age of this treaty, the Anglo Japanese treaty was rescinded. The treaty on Chinese policies and customs provided for the continuation of the open door, and modified the tariff regulations heretofore in force. The contracting powers agreed not to support any agreement by their respective nationals with each other designed to create spheres of influence in China. In addition to these treaties two others were made; one between the United States and Japan referring to rights in the island of Guam, providing that this should not be fortified; and another between Japan and. China which provided among other things for the return of Shantung to China. The treaties were presented to the United States Senate by President Harding, on February 6, 1923, and were speedily ratified with practically no opposition. |The treaties were also ratified by.Great Britain, Italy, Japan and France in 1923,