REPARATIONS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 78, 2 April 1923, Page 8

REPARATIONS

WHAT'HAS GERMANY PAID?

So muoh attention has been given to Germany's default under the reparation clauses of the Treaty of Versailles that it 13 sometimes forgotten how great is the amount which she has actually paid. The Reparation Commission recently published an official account of the deliveries effected up to 30th April last, but the figures require supplementing hi certain ways, declares the "Manchester Guardian."

The official account puts the value of the deliveries effected up to Ist May, 1921, at 5100 million gold marks, and those effected between Ist May, 1921, and 30th April, 1922, at 1878 million. This latter figure up to 30th, November last had boen brought up to 2608 million, making a total of 7700 million. This is equal to 385 million gold pounds, or about 400 million sterling. It may be pointed out that these figures take no aooount of the loss of German Government property in. Upper Silesia, nor do they include any payments, either in cash or material, effected under article- 238 of the Treaty by way of restitution for ■property confiscated by Germany' during the war. Payment by way of restitution for/stolen property clearly stands on a. different moral footing from payment by way of reparation, though it is dealt with under the reparation clauses of the Treaty. The value of these restitutions! payments is not known. But it is considerable, 1 and though perhape not to be pro^ perry, included in a general estimate of what Germany has paid, has none the less been a drain ■ upon har resources ai they atood at the time of the Armistice.

Germany has also made payments under other sections of the Treaty. Under article 296 (Clearing Office for Private Debts) Bhe ia believed to have found about £32,500,000, of which at least £'20,000,000 represents a payment by the German Government rendered necessary by the fact that it had, to assist private debtors because the Gorman debts have to be paid at the 1914 rate of exchange. Other items are (a) the value of paper marks requisitioned by the Armies of Occupation for tkso as currenoy (this might be put at £30.000,000* (b) the value of paper' marks disbursed by the German Government for billets, etc., for the Armies of Occupation, say £50,000,00p; and (cl expenses for Allied Commissions, say £2,500,000. The minimum figure of Germany's payments and deliveries down to tna and of last year, exclusive of restitution, cannot be put at less than £600,000.000.

In so far as those figures repreient the value of Government properties in oeded territories (i.e., two and a half milliard gold marks,' or £125.000.0001 they ■ are morely provisional, and the German estimate would be hiijher. On the other hand —from t.he Allied point of view—this item, though it represents an immediate, oredit to Germany in the Recounts aa between Germany and the Commission, is represented in tho accounts of the Commißsion with the Allied Powers largely by debts to Poland, the prosnect of recoverintr whioh is not exactly hopeful. The Germans s,lso olaim that account should be taken of the value of German property liquidated in Allied countries. b. value which mi<jht well be rmt at fiSOO.000,00(1 (the Germans «ay £1,000.----0P0.000). But under the Treaty—oven ■when the s.sf!=ts w«re situated in Allied countries which ratified—only so much of this value as rprjreseTits a surphip ov«- corresponding Allied claim? Ip applicable to reparß^io" (and then' only jn substance if the Allied country hf« not specially legislated otherwisel. am' to a !orj° extant this fiprure of £500,000.000 i« r e prp«»tited by (remain »oset» in the United Status, much of which, thouprh ton late to help the nre3ent financial situation, may ultiroj>'olv be restored to Germarv. Belgium, by virtue of he*- "priority." is at present trie only Allied Power which hnv an^ oonciderahjp surplus of receipts "F liquid assets anplicpM" to ronaratinn. Her surnlus is obn-ut £70.000.000. ' Th« actual receipts of liquid assets on reparation account by other 'Powers have Vw>en insignificant, .i* the bulk of what Germany has Daid in linuM mwt.«_ has rw"n dissipated in cost* if the Armies of, Oooup«,tioa ud in other Treaty coitt.