24 SEPTEMBER 1921, Page 3

It was stated on Wednesday that the American Government had

put forward a tentative list of subjects for discussion at the Washington Conference in November. The limitation of naval armaments was placed first. Then came the question of regulating new forms of warfare, such as poison-gas, and the problem of limiting military armaments. In regard to the Pacific, America proposes to discuss the territorial and adminis- trative integrity of China, the principle of the " open door," and questions arising out of concessions, monopolies, and prefer- ential rights, railways and railway rates. The Allies are under- stood to be considering this agenda paper. According to the Washington correspondent of the Times, American financiers wish the conference to deal with the great and urgent problem of the war debts, with which America, as the chief creditor, is vitally concerned. It would seem wiser to restrict the confer- ence to the two matters which it was called to discuss.