A STRONG HAND

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 13 August 1923, Page 5

A STRONG HAND

LONDON, Aug. 10. The Daily Telegraph's diplomatic correspondent says that • the critics who found fault with Cabinet on the ground that it has failed hitherto to take a strong stand in defence of British rights and interests will have little cause for a similar complaint in regard to the latest Note to France and Belgium. Mr Baldwin and Lord Curzon have adopted an extremely firm tone, despite, the uniform courtesy of the language employed. For the first time Britain's legal objections of the Ruhr occupation will be officially openly stated. The Government has hitherto refrained from pressing this point, but M. Poincare's hardly-concealed challenge in the recent French Note made it imperative that the British legal case should not go by default. The point that no single one or two amontj Germany's creditors are entitled to depreciate the common credits by independent action can hardly be separated from the question.

It is understood that all the correspondence between Britain and France and Belgium, together with Britain's latest reply, will be officially issued on Sunday evening. A later document will be a very full exposition, of the British attitude on the existing situation.