FRANCE AND GERMANY.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 17811, 10 July 1923, Page 7

FRANCE AND GERMANY.

BRITAIN'S POLICY. SIGNIFICANT STATEMENTS BY MINISTERS. (BI CABLE—PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT.) (AUSIBALIAK AND N.Z. CABLB ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, July S. Mr Neville Chamberlain. Minister of HealiTi, speaking at Birmingham, said the occupation of the Ruhr had benefited Fram ;.■ very litt.e, aiul it had perceptibly diminished Germany's capacity to pay reparations. The situation iou!d not he allowed to drag on indefinitely. The is.-.ue concerned n;:t France alone, and the time had omo for more d finite steps to reach settlem.nt before the complete collapse of central Europe occurred. Mr L. C. M. S. Amery, First Lord of the Admiralty, said that the Ruhr situation had become so serious that Britain was bound soon to assert her views more definitely. PRIME MINISTER TO SPEAK. LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND THE RUHR. LONDON, Ju'y 8. The Count de S aint-Aulaire, French Ambassador, submitted to Lord Curzon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, at Friday's interview, his written instructions from M. Poincare, covering thfc period o) the conversations. Lord Curzon took a copy, which will be considered by Cabinet. This is not exactly a complete fulfilment of Lord Curz in's request that the French Government should rep.y in writing to tho British questionnaire, but the action was apparently accepted as. meeting the case. The Parliamentary correspondents agree that Cabinet within & day or two will clearly define Britain's policy in reference to the Ruhr and the reparation problem. As Mr Amery and Mr Neville Chamberlain have broken silence on the subject from tho platform, a full statement by the Prime Minister is expected in Parliament, with possibly a full dress debate on Friday. The "Daily Telegraph's" diplomatic correspondent says there is a growing feeling among British statesmen that if the problems of the Ruhr and reparations had been handled from +he outset by the Council of the League of Nations in the resolute manner which has since characterised its handling of the Saar problem progress towards a settlement might already have been achieved. Hitherto only the reparation aspect has been considered by the Council, and that only in a decidedly timid form, based on vague instructions and subject to France's veto. The problem should have been raised in the most imperative form under Article XI. of the Covenant of the League of Nations, when no single Power could have vetoed discussion. If as a result of senseless acts of sabotage and equally ruthless reprisals, followed by a diplomatic rupture, the Ruhr peril becomes acute Britan may be impelled to invoke Article XI. [Article XI. of the Covenant of the League of Nations in tho Treaty of Versailles is as follows: —Any war orthreat of war, whether immediately affecting any of the members of the League or hot, is hereby declared a matter of concern to tho whole League, and the League shall take any action that may be deemed wise and effectual to safeguard the peace of nations. In case any such emergency should arise, the Secretary-General shall on tho request of any member of the League, forthwith summon a meeting of tho Council. It is also declared to be the friendly right of each member of the League to bring; to tho attention of the Assembly or ot tho Council any circumstanco ' whatever affecting international relations which threatens to disturb international peace or the good understanding between nations upon which peace depends.] FRANCE'S DETERMINATION. STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT. (Received July Pth, 8.15 p.m.) PARIS, July 8. President Millerand, speaking at Puy-de-Dome, said nothing would make France aoandon her methods on her goal. Victory had not yet been won because the fruits of victory were still being disputed by fraud and trickery. If the vanquished were allowed to baffle the victors there was no such thing as justice or right in the world. The "Temps," commenting on the speeches of Mr Amery and Mr Neville Chamberlain, says the mere fact that the occupation of the Ruhr appears to be contrary to British interests does not give Britain the right to oppose it. The occupation was carried out in accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, which Britain had signed Britain could not regard treaties as applicable only when they were not against British interests. ALLIES TO DIVIDE. SEPARATE "BLOCS" TO BE FORMED. (Received July 9th, 8.45 p.m.) PARIS, July 8. The London correspondent of the "Echo de Paris" declares that the British Cabinet will meet soon to decide whether it is worth while continuing the conversations with France. Regarding the formation of a FrancoBelgian "bloc" in the event of a breakdown of the negotiation's, the correspondent says the formation of a Franco-Belgian "bloc" and an AngloItalian "bloc" for the purpose of negotiating with Germany is regarded as the most likely outcome. (Continued at foot of next column.)