HUGE MAJORITY

Northern Advocate, 15 December 1932, Page 5

HUGE MAJORITY

EMPHATIC REFUSAL I i - U.S. INTERESTS IN GERMANY, DOUBLE POLICY ALLEGED. SOME TELLING SPEECHES. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright,; (Received 9 a.m.) PARIS, December 14. The Hcrriot Government has resigned, as the result of its defeat in the Chamber of Deputies on the motion that the French war debt instalment to America should be with

reservations. The motion was defeated by 402 votes to 187. A French Note had been issued announcing that America would be paid, ■but it requested a prompt revision of the present system, the cost of which was unbearable" unless reparations were paid. Later, however, it was reported by the Paris correspondent of the British United Press that M. Herriot announced that his defeated Government would not make the debt payment to America tomorrow. The Chamber was still sitting at four o’clock this morning, when M. Herriot rose to make a final appeal to members to accept the Government’s decision to pay with reservations.

' M. Herriot declared that if France did not pay America, Great Britain ■could not long continue to pay without ashing France to pay her. Onus On Creditor. One of the most telling speeches was that of a Conservative member, who stressed the ease of a creditor, who, by his action, prevented the debtor from fulfilling an engagement, and thereby' lost the right to exact execution of that engagement. This allusion to Mr Hoover’s action in declaring a moratorium, which deprived France of her credit on Germany, and thereby of the means to pay her own debts, was greeted by an ovation by three-quarters of the deputies. M. Chauvin, defending the Government, asked what the British people would think tomorrow when they were told that France was paying neither America nor Britain. Was it certain that England would demand nothing from France? Members loudly applauded allegations of America’s double policy, consisting of intervening in Europe when America’s interests in Europe required it, and withdrawing when she encountered a disagreeable rei sponsibility. Many speakers alleged that the real y motive behind the Hoover moratorium was the interests of private American ■creditors, whose money was locked in Germany. Speaker after speaker argued that debt payments were no longer morally justified, since they were no longer covered by Germany.

* ‘COMPLETELY JUSTIFIED.’ ’ GERMAN OPINION. (Received 10.30 a.m.) BERLIN, December 14. The Socialist newspaper “Yorwaerts,” commenting on the French default, says that the widespread anger of the French public at the possibility of payment is completely justified, because America’s attitude is both imprudent and unjust. France feels that America deceived her on a technicality. The danger of France refusing to ratify the Lausanne agreements must not be under-estimated. ROD IN PICKLE. RETALIATORY MOVE. AGAINST LAPSING COUNTRIES. (Received 11.30 a.m.) WASHINGTON, December 14. Mr. Harold Knutson (Republican, Minnesota) to-day introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to forbid the entry into the United States of securities of foreign governments that have defaulted on the war debt payments. It would also prohibit advertising them for sale, and the carrying of such obligations through the mails.