THE FRENCH REPLY

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 30, 4 August 1923, Page 7

THE FRENCH REPLY

TEXT ISSUED IN PARIS

■i CREATING THE WILL TO PAY."

PARIS, 2nd August. As the British Government has given publicity to the Notes addressed 'to franco and Belgium, the French Foreign Office has issued the reply which France sent to Mr. Baldwin on Monday. It Bays: _ " While France is disposed to examine the German proposals of 7th July, the. Government is obliged to state that they contain no announcement of the end of passive resistance. While France is ready to reply to British questions at ■ any time, the French Government reiterates that France and Belgium will only evacuate the Ruhr as Germany makes payments. If passive resistance ceases immediately, France will modify her occupation in a manner compatible with the security of the troops and engineers and the preservation of pledges. It holds that the Ruhr was occupied to create in Germany the will to pay. France is convinced that if Britain simply informs Germany that she disapproves of the policy which is ruining Germany and threatening to ruin England, everything will soon be restored to order. The present ruinous condition of Germany is not due to the occupation itself. " France would be glad to know if the inter-Allied debts will be included in the British suggestion that the Allies should proceed with elaborate plans for settlement. Regarding the proposal that Germany's capacity to pay should be examined by an international commission of experts, France would like to know why a calculation o* experts would be considered more exact than the computation made in May, 1921, and whether th e new calculations are more likely to be true ten of. fifteen years hence. The Reparations Commission has the necessary authority to study Germany's resources and capacity. It is hopeless to imagine that it ever would be possible to fix the sum which Germany would regard as just or possible. Britain does not mention the names or nationalities of the experts, or how they are to be chosen. Are they to be sorted by the Allies or the Reparations Commission or neutrals? What relation will the new body bear to the Reparations Commission?"

The reply terminates with a statement that France will be glad to see American delegates take part in the proceedings.