GERMANY AND THE TREATY.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16817, 24 April 1920, Page 9

GERMANY AND THE TREATY.

I ♦ i | ATTITUDE OF THE ALLIES. j (By Cable—Pror? Association —CoprricHt.) (Australian and X.2. Cable Association.) LONDON. April 22. Though the supposed differences be-! tween England, France, and Italy re-; garding the necessity of exacting full I compliance with tho Peace Treaty from; ; Germany are at present only based on j ! rumours, they are taken with extreme, 1 seriousness in France, where the news- j papers almost unanimously fear that j , Germany will be allowed to escape the j I fulfilment of her Treaty obligations. j The commonest version is that Signor • Nitti desires a revision of the Treaty in Germany's favour, while M. Millerand demands strict loaipUance with its present terms. Mr Lloyd George occupies a position midway. It is uncertain how far ho will incline to one side or the other. Some French newspapers assert that j the next few days will decide a continuance or dissolution of tho Entente. Contemporaneous with Germany's triple Note to tho Allies is an increasing frankness of the German newspaper comment. A portion of the Press openly hopes for benefit by an Entente disagreement, and is beginning to demand a revision as a matter of right. The impression is current in Germany that Mr Lloyd George agrees with Signor Nitti in principle, but has not yet agreed on the moans. SAN REMO CONFERENCE. FRANCE'S ITEM STAND. LONDON, April 22. Mr George Perris, tho special San Remo correspondent of the "Daily Chroniclo," summarising the inner hisi tory of the conference, says that, when M. Millerand, Signor Nitti, Mr Lloyd George met, tho last-named laughingly remarked: "Well, hero we are in' paradise, but which is the serpent?" Mr Porris says that Mr Lloyd George is by far the strongest man, but is painfully torn between his deep conviction for the necessity of a reasonable attitude towards Germany, and his I deer> sense of France's wounds and difficulties. Signor Nitti has some resemblanco to ■Mr Lloyd George, which makes malignant any charge that Signor Nitti has an inclination towards the restoration of the old understanding between Italy and Germany. As a matter of fact, Signor Nitti has the wisdom to recognise the peril of any policy of adventure at tiie present time. It is unfair to say that M. Millerand is the serpent, but he has inherited a rolo of immense difficulty from M. O'em.enceau, The French Conservative Militaristic Right is now trying to drive M. Millerand to extremes. Other leading Frenchmen profess to be utterly hopeless of France getting reparation on tho security promised by the Versailles Treaty. They regard the Berlin Government' as a feeble effiey, and think that a Junker Government is nossible at any moment. Tho Anglo-American Convention, on which Franco relied, has become valueless owing to America's attitude. Frenchmen point out that Fnodnnd cannot be relied upon for immediate substantial aid. Italy is even . less reliable. Thero is no Russia to aid France. Consequently, Franco stands alone to fnc" future peril. These critics urge tTiat the sooner Germany's infractions of the Troaty are punished the better. Mr Perris adds that if Germany's disarmament is riot completed, and coal delivered'according to the Treaty stimulation, it is claimed that the Rhine frontiers should ho mado definite, or the Rnhr Valley occupied. A struggle is going on behind the scenes to imnoso these views upon the three Prime Ministers. This is a grievous spectacle, and illustrates the incapacity of democratic parties to deal with international matters. _ There is dansrer of tho civil Government, of France heinsr mished into fur-

mem; oi rrancc "«ug ther separate .*>ction, and trie, moral of the E-itente w'll thus be broken, which would bp a calamity. Mr Balfour has been summoned to San Remo. . An unfavourable symptom is that M. Millerand and Si*mor Nit"H are desirous of returning to their own countries on Sunday, giving no time to sift the sit"ati"n. Mr Perris adds: "My enquiries su<?-p-est that the Fmnoh attitude on the Rprtrnn Vn+ G tvi'U not be favourable, b"t M. Millerand is to make allowances in connenon with tho economic tiro visions of the Treaty." _ M. M'llcrand, in an interview, saicl : "Mr Lloyd Genrco declares hims u lf nov>inst any military revision of the Treaty. T" have several times stated that in the economic sphere it is very desirable to renew normal relations between France and Germany,- but Germanv must prove her good faith by her deeds. "The Allied Aviation Commission reports that the Commission is meeting with evidence of German bad faith. Material js be'ng hidden, and )'nor>c"tinn avoided. My opinion is +hat there is only remedy by which the Allies i can obtain peace, namely, disarmament." ("The Timre."! ; SAN REMO. April 22./ As a result of the latest informal dis--1 cussion of Germany's obstinacy, Mr Lloyd George and S'gnor Nitti adhere to their view that, should efforts at an agreement fail, they will not hesitate to earrv out tho French policy inde- ' pendcntly. Tho language of treaties 1 is proverbiallv ambiguous, but apparently France is justified in entering the Ruhr district and talcing coal if Germany continues to ignore her tions. LONDON. April 21. The "Daily Mail" reports that Mr Lloyd George is t a Inner the lead in "watering-down" the Trentv. It is proposed, instead of enforcing the reparation ' provisions, to Germany to pay immediately a certain fixed sum. (Australian *nd N.Z. Cablo Association.) PARIS, April 22. Tho San Romo correspondent of the . "Matin" asserts that Mr Lloyd GeoTge and Signer Nitti suggested that the German Government should be invited to participate in the conference to discuss tho restoration, of political and economic relations with the Allies. M. Millerand declared that the proposal was unacceptable^ M. Millerand; interviewed by tho <r Matin," declared that when Germany was able to prove her good faith in carrying out the Treaty one could talk about economic co-operation. Tho "Matin" adds that M. Millerand's attitude was a hint to Mr Lloyd George that he was taking a wro&g step. ! A Frankfort telegram states that <Jur- ! ing the last five days eight Battalions of French troops have been withdrawn. (Renter's Telegrans.) ' (Received April 24th, 12.55 a.m.) j SAN REMO, April 22. { M. Millerand, in an interview, said > that, as regards the enforcement of the j Treaty, there was no real Anglo-French j divergence of opinion. He had no * doubt that agreement would be reached i on other points. France had insisted | on the disarmament of Germany. : The report of the Air Commission gave evidence, that Germany was determined to attempt to evade the requirements of the Treaty. M. Millerand said ho regarded Germany's request to be allowed to increase hor array as another attornst to ovadc her obligation*.

i fCnitod Service.) i (Received April 24th. 12.55 a.m.) j PARIS, April 22. General Masterman caused a sensa- ! tion at- the Ambassadors' Conference by I describing the German official devices , | to bailie his Mission by concealing war j materials. ; THE GERMAN ARMY. j j FEEJMISSION FOK INCREASE ! | SOUGHT. I SAN* RIO. 10. Apr.l 21. j ! The German delegation presented i three Notes, with tlie request that t.iey i be sent to San R?mo. I The first a c ks for a decision regarding tho number ef German troops per- ! mitfocl in the neutral zone, and a.?"" ! asks permission to increase too number ' of artillerymen. T::e second asks for permission to double the strength of the Reiehswelu". The third asks for permission to maintain general staffs, create railway companies and aviation groups, and to reestablish the heavy artillery. Imperial rCc.vs Service—Press As»orialion. (Received Anvil 23rd. 7.33 p.m.) SAX KF-MO, April 22. The German iNote asking ior permission to increase the a run* to 200,0U' argues {hat the Government lorres are insufficient to suppress the tvoub-e provoked by extremists and re-establish | or dei - . j The Note dwell-, on tho danger of a i Bolshevist revolution, and contends that an insufficient military force in Ger- j many will prejudice ihe Allies, because., the Government will bo unable to coilform to the economic stipulations of the Treaty of Versailles. It also urges the postponement of-the I reduction of the German Army to I : 30.C00 until the situation in Germany is consolidated. The Note declares that tho cohesion of the- Army is greatly impaired by the uncertainty' of the future, and urges tho settlement of tho question without delay, otherwise the consequences to Germany and Europe will be incalculable. The Note proposes that the army of 200,0 CX) shall consist cf twelve infantry and three cavalry divisions, with three infantry brigades and three batteries of heavy artillery for each infantry division ; also a total of eight groups of aviators. (Renter's Telegrams.) PARTS. April 21. The ''Petit Parisian" states that General Masterman, head of the Allied Commission on Air Control, reported to the Ambassadors' Conference that the Germans were deliberately opposing the attempts at chocking war material, rendering the Mission's journeys most diffract. Gorman officers were everywhere behaving with hostility. Aviation material was stolen, and war material depots were discovered in the neighbourhood of Berlin, while fresh construction was being conducted secretly. SERIOUS jpOOD SHORTAGE. (Australian and N.Z. Cablo Association.) (Received April 23rd. 10.20 p.m.) LONDON, April 22. The food shortage in the Ruhr Valley has become serious, particularly at Essen, where feed consists mainly of bread and potatoes, hut the bread ra<tion has been reduced to two pounds weekly. The Essen workmen sent a deputation to the Reparation authorities, stating that they. wore willing ,to increase their output if supplied with increased rations, tho present scale being insufficient to sustain a working man. The authorities aro considering the representation. Mr G. H. Perris, writing from San Romo, states that the German Note will be a blessing to all concerned if it obliges the Supreme Council to study the German problem in close detail. The British Government "is largely guided by the reports of military officers scattered up and down Germany. They consider the Reichswehr's advance justifiable as a police measure, and merely a technical infringement of the Treaty. They are not sure that French opinion is correct in ascribing it as a deliberate evasion of the Treaty. The military reports insist on the state of semi-starvation of the German people, and quote, as an example, Cologno. where instead of tho 3000 calories -which the food experts consider necessary, the neonle onlv receive the

AlUUtlSbiH ,y, Lilt* VMliy ItJWIVO UIC equivalent of 1300 calories. _ The British policy which Italy, Belgium, tho United States, nnd Japan are supporting is to give the harassed German Government a chancc. RESPONSIBILITY FOE THE WAJJ. BERLIN, April 22. The report of the Parliamentary Committee which lias been holding an enquiry into the responsibility""for the war will be published to-morrow. It covers the decision of the ex-Kaiser and his advisers, and the discussions at the Crown Council at Potsdam. "Vorwaerts" states that the report contains astonishing revelations.