BRITAIN AND AMERICA

Evening Star, Issue 19550, 7 May 1927, Page 10

BRITAIN AND AMERICA

THE WAR DEBT NOTE ONLY A TEMPORARY FLURRY AN AMERICAN VIEW. Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright. WASHINGTON, May 5. While it is made clear that the British Debt Note incident is now considered as closed, it is emphasised in informed quarters that this should not necessarily be accepted as an attempt to reopen the British-Americau debt agreement; and if reconsideration of this agreement is to be sought it will bo some time in the future, and under quite a different procedure. _ An exchange of Notes may cause ill-feeling through the country; but it is generally felt it is only a temporary flurry, and that now a calmer view of the whole jnatter can be taken. PRESS COMMENT. VARIED OPINIONS. _ NEW YORK, May 5. Editorial opinion on the Debt Note differs greatly, part of it being opposed to the British attitude. In some cases this criticism is caustic. The ‘ New York American ’ says: “Mr Mellon does not see why the American taxpayers should be charged 160,000,000 do! per year in order to make Mr Churchill the matinee idol of the League of Nations.” The * New York Times ’ says: “ Just now, to the common man, the war debts look like a great asset; but if it finally penetrates his mind _ that they are a large part of the national liability, not only hurting our foreign trade, _ but hurting our prestige, and impairing goodwill towards us. he will bo more ready than he is to-day to reconsider and rearrange these debts.” ’ The ‘Chicago Tribune ’ heads its leading article ‘lncomprehensible Impertinence, ’ and says: ‘‘Mr Baldwin would have been red in the face for two days if he had received through his Foreign Office a Note from the American Ambassador requesting his Government to disavow ,the truthful statement of the British question by Mr Winston Churchill in a letter to an Oxford professor, and President Poincare might have sent tSe British Ambassador home if such a Kote had reached him.”

THE FINAL JUDGE.

STATEMENT IN COMMONS,

LONDON, May 5,

In the House of Commons Mr Churchill was asked if he was aware that Mr Mellon had repeated his statement that Britain was receiving more from the Allied countries than she was paying to America, which had done great harm to British interests in France and Italy. In repiy, he said: “ There is nothing we can do more than what we have already /one. The reply has obtained great publicity, which.is regrettable from some points of view, but 1 cannot see how, m the circumstances, we could have avoided taking the steps we did. The world must be the final judge.”—A.P.A. and ‘Sun’ Cable.

PARIS PAPER’S CONGRATULATIONS.

PARIS, May 6, (Received May 7, at 9.10 a.m.)

*Le Journal’ congratulates Great Britain on her Note to America, which it declares: “ Caught the United States Government in the very act of making B dishonest manoeuvre.” NO REPLY EXPECTED. (British Official News.) Press Association—By Wireless —Copyright RUGBY, May 6. (Received May 7, at 11 a.m.) It is considered improbable that the British Government will make any reply to the statement issued by Mr Mellon subsequent to the receipt of the British Note on war debts. Mr Mellon did not traverse the main points of the British communication, which serves the end desired ,by the British Government of placing on record the true and authentic facts regarding Great Britain’s receipts and payments.