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As regards Cruisers, the French proposal was

that surface vessels of or below 10,000 tons

armed with guns of more than 6-inch, and up to

8-inch calibre should be subjected to a maximum

tonnage, that is to say, a universal parity

fixed for all Powers, but within this maximum

limit each Power would indicate at the final

Conference for each category the tonnage they

proposed to reach and which they would undertake

not to exceed during the period covered by the

Convention, that is to say, five years. Cruisers

mounting 6-inch guns and below would not be

limited. Similar arrangements would apply as

regards ocean-going submarines, that is to say,

submarines of over 600 tons, but submarines

below this tonnage would not be limited, on

the theory that they were defensive in character.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster,

referring to the proposal that a communication

should be made to M. Louden, the President of the

Preparatory Commission at Geneva, asked that in

any event this might not be done without prior

communication of the proposals to the United

States of America and Japan.

The Lord Privy Seal undertook to amend the Report to meet the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster's point.

In regard to the Model Treaty for Strengthen-

ing the Means of Preventing War, the Chancellor

of the Duchy of Lancaster informed the Cabinet

that at an early stage of the proceedings at

Geneva he had raised the question of the status

of this Treaty, with the result that, instead of

becoming a Protocol open for the signature of all

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