GERMANY'S LIABILITIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17459, 1 May 1920, Page 7

GERMANY'S LIABILITIES.

SETTLEMENT DAY ARRIVES. i MEETING HER CREDITORS. THE SPA CONFERENCE. By T«l«raph—Press Association—Copyright, ' (Received 11.50 p.m.) Vrt-ft Association. LONDON, April 29. 1 In the House of Commons, Mr. Lloyd George explained the results of the San ! Remo Conference. He said that the mis- ' .inderstandings were serious enough, and ! they were made more grave by deliberate ' fomenting by very'reckless persons, but ' the sky was again clear. All the prin- ' cipals were pleased with the outcome, ' and the Anglo-French alliance was placed ! on a firmer basis, than ever. ' The French undoubtedly believed that '■ Britain did not intend to enforce the Ver- ■ satile? Treaty, especially in regard to re- ; paration and disarmament. The conference had dispelled all such suspicions. Misunderstandings also arose from suspicions created by utterances by very powerful persons in Franco and the writings of powerful journalists indicating intentions to use delays in the execution of the treaty for ulterior motives, and the annexation of the Rhineland and German coal areas was openly advocated. Britain had to make absolutely clear that she would never assent to any such policy. M. Millerand and his associates gave an assurance that the vast majority of Frenchmen were opposed to such a policy equally with Britain. German Ministers bad been invited to confer with British and Jrench Ministers face to face at Spa. The questions to be discussed would b.i first, disarmament, then reparation, and then the army of occupation. The real difficulty in getting the terms of the treaty carried out was that the German Government did not command authority, but the greatest difficulty was dealing with a broken-backed people whose actions vrere convulsive. It had command of speech and that was about all. It was essential to obtain the surrender of German guns and aeroplanes and to secure reparations. It was recognised that Germany could not pay at present, but it was necessary that she should abandon exasperating evasions of her liabilities. The Allies were going to Spa to make definite proposals. The time limit of four months after the signature of the treaty conceded to Germany, in which she might submit concrete proposals for settlument of her liabilities, had already lapsed. Mr. Lloyd George emphasised tho. fact that the Ruhr dispute was now entirely cleared up. The Germans had boen ir. formed that as soon an their troops in j the Ruhr Valley were reduced to the num- j ber permitted* by the Allies' letter of August 8. the French troops would be withdrawn. The statement that French troops would not be withdrawn until Germany was disarmed and certain other clauses of the treaty enforced was in nowise accurate. The Germans had to show that the} were grappling with the problem of carrying out the terms of the treaty. That was all the Allies asked. At present the Allies were in most complete accord on all these questions. Mr. Lloyd George denounced attempts to pro-. mote discord, due to persona! malignity and disappointed ambition, 83 criminal.