New-York tribune. [volume], December 28, 1921, Image 1

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'i ADVERTISED IN THE
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Vot, LXXX? No. 27436
First to Last- the Truth: News ? Editorials--Advertisements
THE WEAT?l E It
Fair and colder to-d?y; fo-morro? in?
creasing cinudineis and warmer;
northwest winds Hhiftinff to
easterly lo-mi>rri>w
Full Itcport on l.a-t Puf?
(COpyrljrllt, 1031.
New York Tvlhiinc lno.>
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1921
* * # #
TWO < I.VTS
fn ?ircui?T New 1 ork
TIIIIK?; f ? s^"
Within !00 Mi! ?
FOI i: ' I - <
Reforms
Pave Wav for
Trade in U. S.
__ ^
?HiiteHouseSays Resump?
tion of Commerce With
Soviet Russia is Near,
And Harding Is Hopeful
Good Will Built Up
Bv Famine Relief
Bolshevik Envoy to Buy
Grain With 10 Million
Of Old Imperial Gold
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.?Changes in :
?k . g .. ntal policies, recently1
rA??>. oi ? as in prospect, may
- a resumption of
bade relati "? n Russia and the
United States it was said to-day at
. ? use.
The es recently submitted to
administration, it was
ii other quarters, called
. t for the salaries
. ? immissioners and one
: . a. Department of Com
- rce >wever, have-explained
as no immediate in
ig commercial repre
..;? country, the depart?
ing its estimate for
- nexi - year, was merely pre
- ? ?; - ?tself :?? meet any possible de-j
that line.
Harding is Hopeful
Pn ng believes progress
?n e making in Russia, but it is
ioo . ' * : itely what effect
- of iltra-rad?cal Bolshevik!
mately have upon the
: ? tude t( ward Russii .
iii. ? American Relief Ad- |
ministn . feeding starving chil-!
:? regions has served ]
? g . m officials a new i
insight conditions, and !
m the Commerce !
'. itions* are in a
?.. i il not possible now J
? they ? ill shape them- j
i lie attitude of the i
;.?nent, however, al- i
i. because permission has ;
a Soviet representa-'
? ? ? United States to buy
remaining $10.000,000
5ian gold taken from the
' i ( ;?- ury.
? to :lo this was reached
' uthorities and rep
of the American Relief
The food purchased
tributcd in conjunction with
orth to be bought by
the tes to feed children and
an i provide a supply of seed
? -?? The Russian ? in
heir i ic program, which is
? radica! departure from the former
??''? t scheme, have made
concessions to foreign corporations,
k':'. th< late I advices are to the ef
feci thai uch large rentals and other
.ed that foreigners can
'"' und:-- ; operate because there
ild 1
Awaiting Further Proof
rhe question of restoring trade re
Russia repeatedly has
'?'_? but the Administration
;" no step in (hat direction
?' ? -.'???Manee-: are given
? I there ? moi*e complete d?*monstra
larantics will be car
: out.
rhe experience of the relief admin?
istration, of which Secretary of Com
toerw Hoover is chairman, has,/given
this government considerable informa?
tion about Russia that it did not have
hefon ' was taken up- The
on demanded certain
? " ' ' ? and in the main all stipula
have been lived up to by the
?? Bsskn ??' . ? ? authorities.
true that at times there has
'?een grudging co-operation because
;he aid from a capitalist country was
suspected, but the Russian officials
"ave not thwarted the relief adminis?
tration, in ?ii! essential particulars
have kept faith with the administra?
tion and at times have given unselfish
???.operation,
The decision tn have the balance of
jold taken 'rom the imperial treasury
s<t aside for relief purposes is con
iContlniifil on psq? Ihre?)
British Troops Overawe
Lower Egypt Rioters
j*?Ue Valley Quiet and Natives
at Sur/ Are Threatened With
?V.? ?ill Bombing
'r''"' '? ' bune'a European Bureau
Copyrlg ii \>w York Tribune Inc.
LONDON, Dec. 27.?The British
?oops and marines in lower Egypt
Washed the Nationalist rioting that the
native,--, sought to renew last night in
leTeral ci* and the Nile Valley is
Quieter t i-day, according to reports re
?eived here, The demonstrators seem
?oroughly cowed in most cf the larger
cities 1 v the many troops which have
Men landed by the British govern m en'.
?aval units are in control in Cairo,
gttez, Alexandria, [smailia and Tort
pftid. More trouble is feared at Cairo
and Surr.
The British Liberal press argr.es tbat
tne arrest r Said Zagloul Pasha. Na
?onalistji 1er, is a direct challenge
g tr.r. Egyptians, Native representa?
tives here say that Egypt will be in
?pen revolt l>crore long if the British
government doesn't modify its policy
CAIRO. Dee. 27 (By The Associ
"ressV -The nuthorities are taking se
vera n,?.jc...?? ? ? _.. +u~ ?..__.
ooBibs. and if the assembly does no
Wen disperse they will drop shells a
L ?n* ",::'' "lins.
The Minister of Education has closei
Ml the government schools, and th
iW?ta' service i? r?stricted to Cairo
JOfl law courts are beginning to strike
IM many of the Egyptian merchan
wvc cancelled their orders with Brit
?>sh hrms.
I'^?Jw'Pf ? ATLANTIC COAST I.I.VI
'ti*Ai .' "formuti-m at Of lice. IMS Broad w?
,<.?<! tt.k T?L JLonaacra 68t!&.?Advt.
-,-,-_??,-__-,
France to Meet Soviet in Economic
Conference if America Takes Part
Special Cable Dispatch to The Tribune
Copyright, 192!, New York Tribune /??.
PARIS, Dec. 27.?Franco will overcome her antipathy to the Rus?
sian Bolshevik government and enter a European economic, conference
in which the Moscow government is represented if the United States
agrees to take part in the gathering, the Tribune correspondent was
informed to-day on the highest authority.
Denial was given to a London report that France had definitely
agreed to go to such a meeting in London February 8. On the other
hand, France will insist that neutral ground, per'/ ips Holland, shall
be the place for such a conference, and her accepta;,<e, will not be forth?
coming until the Washington government has made, known its attitude.
If France's assent is given when the conference is proposed at the
Cannes meeting of the Supreme Council it will he with the knowledge
that the United States will collaborate at the proper time.
The French view is that the United States has taken a large
interest in Russian affairs, and consequently would probably consent,
to join with Great Britain and Prance in discussions with the Soviet
representatives of economic problems.
Big; Shake-Up !
In Enforcement
System Begins!
Daugherty Starts House
cleaning of Duplications
in Federal and Stale
Methods; Asks Assistance
State Revisions Urged
Letter to Attorneys Gen?
era) Suggests Local Con?
ferences at Early Date
From The. Tribune's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.?A general
housecleaning of all duplication in Fed?
eral and state systems for enforcing
the liquor, food and fuel supply laws j
was begun to-day by Attorney General i
Daugherty.
So substantial is the overlapping of
powers and activities, a nation-wide rc
\ision will mean a great saving in ex?
penditures and more effective enforce?
ment, Mr. Daugherty declares in a let?
ter stnt to the attorney general of the
states.
The Attorney General's letter, which
is part of his drive to reduce retail
prices, pointed out that such co-opera?
tion, particularly in stopping "extor?
tion in the prices now maintained," |
would be of vast importance to tfte mu?
nicipal authorities who have been try?
ing to reach these law violators. l\lr.
Daugherty .-aid the Federal authorities
were not disposed to shirk their duties,
but required co-operation.
Calls for Conference
To bring about a clean-cut working
arrangement between state officials
and the Federal enforcement officers,
the Attorney General calls upon the
chief la-v ufficer of each state to gather
a conference of all prosecuting attor?
neys and United States attorneys. The
conference could frame a working
agreement early in the new year, the
Attorney General says, which would
result in more economical as well as
more thorough law enforcement. The
letter said:
"The Department of Justice of the
United States is very desirous of lend?
ing its aid to bring about a complete
and effective working system with all
law enforcement officers, and especially
with the legal branches of the several
states of the Union. This co-operation
will not only insure a reduction in ex?
penditures, but also a more prompt en?
forcement of existing law, as well as a
uniformity in proceedings, sentences
and lines. This will all make for a
better understanding among tho peo?
ple. It also will afford an opportunity
for the several states, without duplica?
tion with the Federal government, to
enforce the laws which should be en?
forced by state authorities and leave
| for the Federal government such duties
i as devolve upon it.
Cites Two Offenses
"The two principal offenses which T
i now have in mind are those against the
liquor and the food and fuel supply
.laws. There is no disposition on the
i part of the Federal government, as rep
! resented by the Department of Justice,
! to evade any responsibility in respect
to its duties, but the states, I believe,
should first enforce their laws in re
i gard to the violations, and the Federal
| government, promptly co-operating
. with the states, enforce the laws which
I should be enforced by the Federal gov
; CTfiment. There are substantial dupli?
cations in many of these laws, as you
! arc weli aware, and a better under
I standing between the state authorities
I and the Feneral authorities will prove
I most beneficial to both in the enforce
'? ment of the prohibition and the food
' and fuel laws pertaining to priros.
j This co-ordination of powers will aid
i especially municipal authorities, cham
' hers of commerce and state authorities
in their respective efforts to reach
! violations for extortion in the prices
1 now maintained.
i "As many of these infractions are
' intrastate cases there will arise doubt
i ful questions whether a violation of
j the law in the matter of fixing prioes
i by certain local retailers is one over
, which the Federal government, has
jurisdiction.
"With this subject in mind and the
' object in view, as stated, to bring
(Continuai en pag? thrw)
Streams Waved on Fire
i
; Down Town Turn to ice
Department Has Hard Battle
With Flames in Duane Street
Factory Building
Fire that originated on the second
1 floor of a five-story brick building at
: 171 Duane Street, occupied by several
[manufacturing concerns, gave five en
! eine companies a hard light for moie
than two hours last night. The damage
was estimated at more than $100,000.
Water thrown on the building froze
, immediately. Traffic was diverted
from Duane and Staple streets, which
i became impassable for motor traffic
because of glace ice extending in all
' directions for nearly u block. Efforts
I made to confine the fire to the floor on
I which it originated failed and the
; upper four floors were burned.
In the same building six months ago
, the entire force of Engine 29 was made
i unconscious during a tire by fumes
?and were rescued with difficulty.
Woman Among
Four Killed by
Wood Alcohol
Police Begin Dragnet Search
for Source of Deadly
Liquor i Bootleg Sus?
pect is Locket! Up
Many Believed Poisoned
Two Brothers Victims; Dy?
ing Man Tells of Party,
Guest Already Dead
-1
Orders issued from Police llcad
I quarters late last ni??ht called for a
! dragnet search to-day for cases of
holiday illness due to wood alcohol
poisoning when two more deaths from
that cause became known, making four
within twenty-four hours. One arrest
was made last night.
Edward Gillecc, thirty-one years old,
a press representative, of 510 East Sev?
enteenth Street, .lied in Bellevuc Hos?
pital just after midnight, and Mrs. Rit?
chie Ryan, widow of Mike Ryan, a for
i mer pugilist, died late in the afternoon
| at her home, 105 West Sixtieth Street.
I Gillecc was taken ill early in the
afternoon after drinking gin purchased
i on Christmas Eve. He went to Belle
! vue Hospital in a tsxicab. After being
a short time in the alcoholic ward Gil
j lece became blind. He told Dr. Martin
?and Dr. J. M. Thornton that he and.a
Mrs. Ryan had taken several drinks of
I liquor on Christmas Day. He was try
! ing to explain where the liquor had
j been bought when he lapsed nto un
I consciousness.
Woman's Death Discovered
Hospital authorities notified the
police of his statement with regard to
Mrs. Ryan and an immediate investiga
| tion was begun. It resulted in the dis?
covery of the woman's death earlier in
the day. Dr. J. F. Dunseith, of 534
West Forty-second Street, tokl the
police he had been called to attend
Mrs. Ryan. He diagnosed the cause of
lier illness as wood alcohol poisoning
The bodies of Gillecc and Mrs. Ryan
with those of John and Frank Tiffany
two victims of a few hours earlier, an
in BelieA'ue. morgue awaiting autopsie;
by <'hief Medical Examiner Charle:
Norris. The Medical Examiner las
night, ordered his staff to co-operate ii
'an effort to discover cases of suppose?
I temporary blindness resulting from liq
| uor drinking. Loss of sight is usual!;
followed in a few hours by coma am
i ultimately by death. The police be
lieve there may be many such cases
It. is thought a consignment of syn
thetic gin with a wool alcohol base wa
brought into Manhattan a few days be
fore Christmas and disposed of duriii]
the holiday.
Suspert Is Arrested
Detective Cronin, of the West Sixty
j eighth Street police station, last nigh
arrested John Horan, of 206 West Six
ty-fourth Street, as the man who sol
the Tiffanys gin last Sunday nigh
j Horan denied knowledge of the trans
j action. He was locked up, charge
j with homicide.
A fifth possible, victim was .fame
j Corrigan, a cook. He was found iti
i Bowery lodging house, Minded froi
' holiday drink. The police ordered hi
j removal to Metropolitan Hospita
Blackwell's Island, where he was re
ported to be dying last night.
The barge Liberty Bond yesterda
had taken eighty-six drums of aleohc
from the Brooklyn pier of the War
liner Orizaba for transfer to an Ita
ian steamship at Pier 59. The carg
later was found to be twenty-sevc
j drums, or 3,000 gallons, short. The hi
I lief is the barge was robbed. The a
cohol came from Havana, consigned b
a Cuban firm to an Dalian port.
Prohibition Agents Barry, Mann;
and Blank raided the candy store a
leged to have been conducted by Pao
Vicitta, at 23S East Forty-fifth Strec
yesterday afternoon and arrested tl
proprietor. They ?charge they aske
for candy, winked, and were serve
with drinks of whisky from a bott
(Continued on page four)
Sheriff's Jury Finds One
Of Ils Members I usan
Adjudges Edgar A. Sicrck ii
! competent and Committee
Will Be Named
j The third panel of the Sh -:T's ju;
yesterday adjudged Edgar A. sicrck,
member of Sheriff Knott's secoi
panel, as incompetent to manage h
affairs. Mr. Sierck is ft member of tl
New York Stock Exchange, and on t!
jury that heard his case were oth
members of .e exchange who km
Mr. Sicrck personally.
Mr. Sierck now is a patient
j Bloomingdalo Asylum, to which ins
tulion he was committed on Novemb
7. The petitioner..' for the proceedin
to adjudge him incompetent, so th
a committee might be appointed
manage the affairs of Mr. Sierck, we
his brother. Herbert C. Sierck, and M
Ernestine Salker, a sister. Testimo
was given showing that Mr. Sierck h
personal property valued at $174,072
valuation of $82,000 being ?laced on 1
seat on the Stock Exchange.
-?
riNEHl'R8T AND SOCTirrilX PIN1
X. C, Carpdon und Columbia, S. ?'. M
South .Special, 1\ K. K., 2:06 p, m. Si
b?aril Ail L,\yo By., 112 Wf. 4-d Ht.~Ad
Union Agrees
To Arbitrate
WithBuilders
Untermyer's Plan f orTwo
Year Contract, Retaining
Present Scale Through
Next Year, Is Accepted
Employers Ready
To Decide To-day
Association Refuses to
Oust Secretary Accused
by Lockwoorl Attorney
Developments bearing on the.Lock
wood legislative committee';; investi?
gation of New York's building industry
occurred in rapid succession yester?
day. The following summarizes the
principal events of the day:
Heads of all the building trades
unions in the city, at a meeting in
Building Trades Council headquarters
at IP. St. Mark's Place, accepted on
behalf of their organization an arbi?
tration plan submitted by Samuel Un?
termyer, volunteer chief counsel for the.
Lockwood committee, providing for a
two-year contract from January 1 and
the maintenance of the present wage
scale through lf'22.
Officiais of the Building Trades Em?
ployers' Association announced that the.
board of governor;; of that organiza?
tion will meet to-day at the association
offices, 30 West, Thirty-third Street, to
take action on the plan with a view to
its acceptance or rejection.
Labor Conference To-day
Representatives of the Building
Trades Council, the New York State
Federation of Labor and the American
Federation of Labor decided to hold a
conference to-day in the Hotel Conti?
nental over the memorandum of re?
forms and changes in rules demanded
of (he building trades unions by the
Lock wood committee.
Delegates of the various building
trades unions, it was stated by Patrick
.1. Crov/ley, president of the Building
Trades Council, will meet with Mr,
Untermyer in his office to-morrow af?
ternoon to discuss the memorandum of
reforms, and probably to give him
their final decision concerning them.
Although withholding comment on
Mr. Untermyer's letter charging the
Building Trades Employers' Associa?
tion with bcin? a breeding center for
illegal combinations responsible for
high building costs, officials of that or?
ganization let it lie known emphatically
that .they would refuse his demand for
the discharge of Samuel B. Donnelly,
the secretary, who was termed"a most
efficient man and worthy of every con?
fidence on the part of his employers."
Crisis Averted, Is Belief
i 'I'll? arbitration plan, which was sent
; simultaneously to the unions and the
employers' association, was looked
? upon in some quarters last night as
offering the greatest hopo for un?
tangling the labyrinthine and months'
1 old differences of the two sides in the
' building industry that has yet been
! submitted. If could not be learned
whether it, represented the exclusive
effort of Mr. Untermyer himself, or
! whether it merged the views of the
Lockwood committee as a whole in an
attempt, to restore the industry to ef
; fective and progressive operation.
The plan was contained in a letter
signed by Mr. Untermyer and ad
; dressed to Christian 0. Norman, preai
I dent of the Building Trades Employers'
! Association, and Mr. Crowley, as presi?
dent of the Building Trades Council.
The text was in part as follow:-:
"Tiie present uncertain labor condi?
tions in the building industry, duo to
the expiration in a few days of the ex
[ isting contract between the employers
? and the unions, continues to be the
j subject, of serious concern to me in
; my relation as counsel to the. commit
i tee for which I am acting.
"My understanding is that, the offer
of the employers to continue the pres
: eut wage for sixty days was made de?
pendent, upon an arbitration as to the
?wages and other conditions that should
, be embodied in a new contract, and
this condition has been rejected by the
j council,- so that with the existing con
: tract about to expire there is no ne
I gotiation pending,.
"The committee is impressed with
t lie importance of further stimulation
of building, and that, the labor situa
! tion shall lie immediately cleared up so
j that there will be no danger of further
disturbance from that source. I find
! that owners and architects who are. now
i planning for new construction in the
I spring have grown timid and hesitant
on account of the uncertainty of the
labor situ?t.ion. This is the time when
preparations must he made, a"d it is
of the utmost importance that this un
: certainty shail now be dispelled.
Solution Offered in Plan
"With that end in view and after
i having very thoroughly canvassed the
; situation, I have the following solu?
tion to suggest to both parties:
"(Ii That a new contract be now
made for two years from January 1.
"(2) That subject (e, the conditions
hereinafter specified the present wage
scab, be continued for L922 and that
(Continued on p?fl.i flvr)
Debs's First
SpeechBrings
A Reprimand
Apologizes to Police After
Addressing a Crowd
in Washington Station
Without Getting Permit
Renews Attack
Against Warfare
Will Fight Strife With
'livery Drop of Blood in
My Veins'; Starts Home
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.?Freed by
President Harding from Atlanta Fed?
eral penitentiary, where he was serving
a ten-year sentence for making speeches
in violation of the war laws, Eugene V.
Debs, Socialist leader, was reprimanded
to-night by Union Station police here
for making a speech without a permit
before leaving for his home in Terre
Haute, Ind.
Before boarding his train Debs ad
dressed a crowd of several hundred
persons in the station, including ad?
mirers who had come to say good by.
expressing his gatitude for his recep?
tion in Washington and closing with n
reiteration of his opposition to war and
belief in the force of love in the re?
demption of the world.
No effort was made by uniformee
police in the crowd to interfere with
the address, but immediately upon its
conclusion a plainclothes man rushc
up to Debs and demanded if he had i
permit to speak in the station, and
upon being informed in the negative
declared :
"You have taken a great liberty.''
Apologizes to Officer
Debs, who had grasped the plain
clothes man by the hand under the im
pression that he was a well-wisher
apologized and said he had not knowi
he was doing wrong.
Debs went immediately to his trail
but considerable excitement prevailed i
the crowd, due chiefly to the efforts o
newspaper men to learn the identit
of the plainclothes man. He refuse
to give his name, but, after rather c>
cited bickering with reporters, declare
he was the chief of police of the linio
Station and flashed a badge pinned t
his belt. He said he had had no sp<
rial orders with respect to Debs, bt
that the regulations of the station fo
bid speechmakiiig without a permit.
Debs's speech was his first platfor
utterance since leaving prison.
"I wish," he said, "to do myself tl
justice to return my grateful thanl
for the> kindness shown me here,
also wish to express my gratitude
the representatives of the press tl
representatives of the Fourth Estate
whose courtesy, fairness and kindne
have been beyond expression.
Holds No Bitterness
"Many disagree with me in an ec
nomic and social way, but wo arc i
human, and one touch of nature mak
the whole world kin."
Debs declared that he left Washin
ton "without, a trace of bitterness
hatred," adding "many hated ni(
but that, they were entitled to the
feelings and the expression of them.
?'1 believe in free speech," he sa
"In the expression of these differi
opinions we find our way to high
civilization."
He paid tribute to figures in histo
who, he declared, had the courage
their convictions, although forced
i sacrifice much of them, and re-ferr
to Washington, Jefferson and Thorn
Paine, "who first wrote the wot
United States," as those who "at ti
misunderstood, won an immortality
glory."
"With every drop of blood in :
veins," he concluded, "1 am oppof
to war. Human life is too sacred
thing to be spent in bloodshed. Le
is the greatest force in this wot
love will redeem us, love will save
and write our names in the depths
civilization."
Beaches Home To-night
Debs and his party are scheduled
reach Indianapolis at. 1:30 p. m.
morrow and proceed from there
Terre Haute, planning to reach
Socialist leader's home at about
l o'clock to-morrow night, in time fo
| demonstration of welcomo which
: said to have been arranged for h
I With him on the train were his bro
| er Theodore, David KarsnerJ his bi
rapher, and Miss Celia Trotter j
! Mrs. Bertha Hale White, both of
j Debs Freedom League.
Debs spent the day here seeing c
I ers, being interviewed and rest!
Among his visitors were Peter J. M
j Swiney, brother of the late i,
I Mayor of Cork; Frank Morrison, ;
rotary of the American Federation
Labor; Philip La Follette, son of
senior Senator from Wisconsin; ?
tiago Iglesia, of the Porto Ri
Senate, and Canutos Vargas, secret
of tho Pan-American Federation
Labor.
Friends declared that an invita
from the Soviet government to \
Russia awaited Debs and that he p;
ably would accept.
s
?ici uses uruggea cigarette
To Steal Fingerprint Rfecord
OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 27. ?A
stranger who represented himself as
a postoffice inspector entered police
headquarters here to-day, gave an offi?
cer a narcotized cigarette, and while
the latter was unconscious walked cut ,
with fingerprint evidence obtained bj |
! the police from a bottle of explosive j
used in a recent robbery of a Santa
Fc mail car near Edmond, Okla.
The stranger introducen himself as i
"Mr. Williams." 11. A. Murphy, Bertil-,
lion expert, produced the fingerprints
and was talking to the man about the
robbery when the latter offered him a
i cigarette, the officer related, after two
physicians had spent three hours re
I viving him,
Murphy said that after lighting the
I cigarette he talked a few minutes to
' the man and then lost consciousness.
| His last remembrance, he said, was
j seeing the. stranger reach for the prints
I and hearing him say, "Well, I got you
?
I
that time." No clew has been found !
as to the man's identity.
Special Deputy Police Commissioner
Dr. CarJton Simon, in charge of the !
narcotic division, said last night in '.
refer? r?ce to the sudden narcotization ]
of an Oklahoma police official by i
means of a cigarette:
"I am thoroughly familiar with the
drug used in this case. We have re- j
cently caused a law to bo passed in
New York to prevent just such occur?
rences so far as possible. It is not
only possible to got enough of this
drug in a cigarette to render the
smoker unconsc;ous, but it is possible
to roll enough of it in one cigarette to
murder a smoker.
"I am asking us a special favor and
for obvious reasons that you suppress
the name of this drug. There are nu?
merous poisons the names and natures
of which should not be given publicity,
as such publicity would only facilitate
I the commission of murder and out
I ?awry."
i
France Rejects Limit
On Submarines; Japan
Ready to Change Treaty
France May Urge Treaty, Including
Germany, to Guard European Waters
_V_
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 (By The Associated Press).?A sugges?
tion involving interesting political considerations came to the surface
during the day from French circles of the armament conference. It
was a hint, advanced informally v. hile the delegation waited for news
of the decisions of the Cabinet in Paris, that France might be willing
to agree to a status quo limitation of submarine strength if the other
powers would join with her in a treaty designed to preserve peace in
European waters.
As tentatively outlined, such a treaty would be similar in purpose
to that just concluded to cover the Pacific, and v/ould have as its signa?
tories France, Great Britain, Italy and Germany. Should they desire
to do so, it was said, the United States and Japan might also partici?
pate in the agreement, although the inclusion of the four European
powers, including Germany expressly, would be considered indispensable.
Underwood Has
Plan to Double
Chinese Tariff!
Proposed Increase Designed
to Raise $35,000,000 a I
Year and Serve as Basis !
for $400,000,000 Loan
Too Much, Pleads japan
Nipponese Would Limit Ad?
ditional Revenue to 10
Millions, Delegate Insists
By Thomas Steep
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27.?China's
present bankrupt condition, which she
attributes in part to her low import |
duties arbitrarily fixed by the powers I
for the last seventy-nine years, will i
he materially improved ?f a plan pro- |
posed to-day by Senator Underwood, j
of the American delegation, is adopted
by the armament limitation conference, i
The plan, which was presented by Mr.
Underwood to the Far Eastern sub?
committee on Chinese tariff, would
authorize China to double her revenue
from taxes on imports, thus giving her
$35,000,000 more a year, upon which, it
is estimated, she could borrow about
I $100.000,000 for the building of rail
i roads and for other internal improve
I
inents.
The Japanese delegates opposed the
Cnderwood plan. They contended that
i the Chinese tariff should be increased
\ to yield China not more, than $10,000,
000 additional annual revenue. Masanao
i Hanihara, the Japanese Vice-Minister
i for Foreign Affairs, said Japan was
i more vitally concerned in the proposed
? increase than any other country bc
! cause 40 per cent of her foreign trade
i was with China.
Complete Autonomy Sought
No other Far Eastern question has
given the conference greater concern
than that raised by China's plea for
i complete tariff autonomy. Her dele
: gates contend that if the Chinese Re
l public is ever to doff the swaddling
I clothes which it put on when it over
] threw the Manchu dynasty ten years
| ago, it must be permitted to regulate
j its own tariff.
Much interest, therefore, centered in
I the sub-committee, of which Mr. Un?
derwood is chairman, when it. resumed
j its sessions after a two weeks' recess.
; Three plans were proposed. Ur. Well
: ington Koo presented China's plea for
; a restoration of her tariff autonomy
which ended when Great Britain signed
?the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. This
j treaty, subsequently concurred in by
i other powers, provided that China
: should not collect more than 5 per cent
ad valorem on all imports. Provision
; was made for periodic revision of the
'?? market values of commodities, but
1 since the last revision was made, in
'? 1918, the Chinese delegates, argued, the,
? f> r/er cent has become merely nominal,
?the actual revenue being only 3V? por
; cent. This yields China only about
i $35,000,000, it was contended, so that
the Chinese Republic has been forced
to negotiate vast loans and is still
i in urgent need of funds.
Japan Favors Slight Increase
As soon as it was made evident that
' the powers would not consent to re
; store tariff autonomy to China at once
1 proposals for improving her condition
I were presented. The Japaneso dele
| gation suggested that an increase of
? 1^2 per cent would be the maximum
(Continued on next pass)
Kaiser Has to Economize j
On Christmas Presents !
_?
Holly and Tree in Qiapel and ?
Ex-Crown Prince and Two j
.Sons There for Holidays
DOORN, Holland, Dec. 27 (By The
Associated Press).- Former Emperor
William of Germany and his household
celebrated their third Christmas in
exile Sunday. Owing to the fact that
the former imperial family is still in
mourning for the ex-Empress, the ob-j
servances this year were quiet.
Former Crown Prince Frederick Wil?
liam, with his two sons, came to Doom
to stay with the ex-Emperor during the
holidays. Doom Castle was decorated
with hoi!", and in the chapel there was
a l^rge Christmas tree, around which
the former imperial household as?
sembled at night to sing their favorite
carols. Christmas eve- William Hohen
zollern called the entire household into
the hall and personally handed each ol
the members their Christmas presents,
which consisted chiefly of money.
In a long speech the former Em?
peror thanked "my faithful friends"
for their loyalty. He explained that
owing to the severe curtailment in his
ir>come he was compelled to economize
and make his gifts smaller than they
i bad been in previous years.
French Senate
Insistent on
Powerful Fleet
Arms Limitation Proposed
in Washington Sharply
Denounced m Discussion
of New Marine Budget
Right of Defense Upheld
Submarines Declared an Es?
sential Weapon: Use to
Kill Commerce Deplored
PARIS, Dec. 27 (By The Associated
Press)..France's determination to
have a powerful fleet and objections to
the limitation efforts of the Washing?
ton conference were vigorously voiced
in the Senate to-day during a discus?
sion of the marine section of the gov?
ernment's budget.
Senator Henry Berenger, who report
ed the marine budget, said France wa?
i at a decisive turning point. "Is France
still independent in her navy as in hoi
army'.'" he asked. "Has the old prin?
ciple of sovereignty been sacrificed
somewhat in those conferences wherein
we have been promised a sort of inter?
nationale of happiness?"
Senator de Kcrguezec defended tin
submarine as an essential weapon ol
defense, but wished it to be confined te
military uses, iustead of being applice
to torpedoing commerce. "At tin
Washington conference," he said, "we
were surprised to see the French dele
pation demand 350,000 tons of capita
ships when France does not desire u
carry war into foreign waters. Franci
desires no imperialism, but if we founi
Admiral de Bon's proposal strangi
there arc, nevertheless, limitation
which we cannot accept."
Submarines for Defense Only
Senator de Kerguer.ec declared i
was impossible that the French delega
tion at Washington had said that sub
marines would b<i used to destroy th
enemy's commercial fleet. He explaine
the necessity of submarines in defend
ing the coast and in transportation o
supplies for troops.
Minister of Marine Guisthau, reply
ing to Senator do Kerguezeo, said li
was greatly affected by the remark
about the Washington conference, bu
he asserted: "Nothing has been pre
posed that reduces France's power.
Moreover, he declared, no decision
i reached at Washington would be effec
I five until the French Parliament ha
: approved them. He explained that th
j naval program was reduced throug
lack of money, but that a defensiv
! program was prepared providing fr
the utilization of the commercial flee
? Senator Berenger severely criticize
the condition of the navy, and othe
Senators joineel with him in urgin
speedy reforms. Senator Berenge
described the central naval administri
tion as being "in a state of what
term arterio-sclerosis."
Preceding the debate over the nav.
budget, the Naval Commission hs
! published a resolution, urging tl
' Minister of Marine to increase tl
I number of submarines so a<j adequate
to defend the coast line, in view of U
! present weakness of the navy, whie
! was stressed during the discussion
i the Senate.
Rizhts Held at Stake
The, concluding paragraph of the
Naval Commission's resolution was as
follows:
"One cannot conceive, therefore, that
France's efforts in this direction should
be obstructed or limited. It is a ques?
tion of national independence and of
the right of legitimate defence that is
at stake.'' The resolution was adopted
in connection with the Naval Commis?
sion's report on its program, based on
two principles: That the French Navy
must always be superior to the German
$>Tavy and sufficiently supreme in the
Mediterranean to safeguard French
interests in North Africa and the Near
East.
The Naval Commission's report cred?
its France with having forty-nine sub
i marines, of which fifteen, it is declared,
! will be obsolete by 1925. These are to
be replaced only by twelve provided in
the present program, elthough twenty
four others are scheduled for the in?
definite future. The commission sug?
gests two groups of undersea craft, one
' to be composed of short-range and th->
other of long-range submarines, the
latter group being for "pursuit of
i enemy commerce, pursuit of pirates
1 and of light enemy cruisers."
'-?
Freezes lo Death at tloney
Martin Kenney, fifty-five years old,
of 3124 Mermaid Avenue, Coney Island,
was found frozen to death yest^rd^v in
the rear yard of his home. He lived
alone and was employed as a watchman
of houseboats, at Thirty-first Street
and Gravesend Bay. His body was dis?
covered by another watchman. .
VTh*n You Think of Writing
TUlak of Wl?t'.Uf.?Aclvt. \
Paris Instructs Delegates
to Insist on Proportion
Exceeding Thai Allotted
to U. S. and Britain
90,000-Ton FVH
Fixed bv Cabinet
Tok?o Said to Object to
Clause Including Main?
land in Protected Area
PARIS, Wednesday, Pec. 28 ?
The French Cabinet, after
sideration of tl
nun, has unreservt ov< ?!
the attitude of the French d<
tion in Washington in firmly
standing by the figure of 90,0
ton?, says the "Excelsior" to-di . .
i-)
By Carter Field
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2?.?Rejec?
tion of the American
? limitation of submarine tonnage ?
be formally communicated to the
armament committee by the Frenen
delegation to-morrow morning, it
was fearned to-night. Ofli
dispatches from Pari : ?-day, it
said, fixed a minimum of submai
tonnage for France far in ex<
; not only of th? amount prop I by
! the United States for France, but of
I the amount also fixed and
by both Britain and
States.
Another devele
portanc? today was I ? rient
in authoritati ire qi pa ?
might move to have ;: wer
treaty inoperative so far as protec?
tion of the main is
concerne'!. It va " the
treaty which recently caused SO
much opposition to develop in ?'or
i tain quarter.-- in Wa
75,000 Vov Suggested
No state ni e i t h e
French here to-night what
minimum ge i hey
will demand, but it is bel I the
original French figure i r 90
may h r. e b < n n >dil I I I n-.
? In view of thi ,iin
! and the United Stati da
j maximum of 60.000 tons, tentai , ?t
course, on I ra
I tios by tin ol her pov er , tl I ion
: of the Frene hi
harmoniou agreei lei m : ma
| line question..
| It was admit?.-d al the V\ ' M Ho???
to-day that informal a ?
! ready had bee? had
future conference ivhicl ? vp
the question of submarines. Th - olan
? of abandoning ;';! ho] .pro
mire eui th" submai ? ...
present conference I b?
boine of tin onlj
practical m< thod oi ?th the
problem.
Tin'.-'- deli that a
great deal ha !> *
this confer? nee ipital
ship ratio and i tabli
year naval hoi ; ship
const'! ? , th-i
e.'.tablishme I Pa
cific trei idous
achievement in ; ? neace,
not 1 o ignore the
j Japanese alliai of n
? war b( '.'?' een Lh< United states and
j Japan.
"Why, then," the
conference go ? ?? !" wii h
an impo<sib'.i ?' .?
French demand* for subi
napre in excess of that ad
satisfactory by Britain, the United
States and Japan ".' '
Think Fran-c May Chang?
Underlying this contention m trs
thought that if France goes back horn?
having prevented the conference from
accomplishing anything either on su
marines, or all I '? '<?'!
are used in fightii g subn irin ?. her
people will be quick I iorsA
sentiment of thi :\'<%
l-.er, with the r ?'er
ence a year or two : mas J?*
much more reasonable.
Incidentally the Ja i;o|
yet gh sn th( ir decis ^rins
tonnage, waiting pal tr.?
Frencli have spo t uf
the Japanese delegation, Raid f
the Japanese d< >? ??
to refer thi on to Toi I :ving
entire authority to aci He said Japan
would be entirely sa ii ied wi ; tho
submarine tonnage orig i in
the American plan, .'? i tons, but
would no) if ths?
American and i-? ? ? re?
duced from 90,000 tons?, on which tho
ligure o-' 54,000 tons iva I by
the application of the 5-5-3 ratio, Japan
would be willing to reduce furtho*.
Political Aspect Snggested
On the submari . which, with
Shantung, is holding hack the cent
elusion of the confi 1 ot
the situation seems to have i;:?sc4
from Washington. According t u i -?
?of those most friendly to the Prei
Premier Briand is using j
i i s.sue in Washington as 6
I Lloyd George's hand on E
1 ters.
At any rate the Americi
jes jt was put by an Am i i c < ? .-p ? . ?
1 man to-day, hi R ? it-- sola i
and nor- must await til
diet on it before ti ?
action. There are those who I
Mr. Hughes ought to appeal to t ?
| French, people over the
?only the French delegates her< thcri
j has been much discussion o
K-ged appealing , over th
head to Briand?but of Briand and th?
whole- French government, !
1 admitted that those holding this .
are in the minority, apparently, wfc. \