REPARATION PAYMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20086, 25 October 1928, Page 13

REPARATION PAYMENTS.

MR. GILBERT'S ACTIVITIES. DAWES PLAN REVISION. ATTITUDE OF THE POWERS. Australian and N.Z. Press Association. (Received October 21, 5.17 p.m.) LONDON. Oct. 21 Tho activities of Mr. Parker Gilbert, Agent-General for Reparation Payments, continue to excite speculation as to what happened when the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Churchill, went to Paris last week, says the diplomatic correspondent of the Daily Telegraph. Tie comments on the fact that Mr. Churchill intimated in his latest speech that Britain upheld the Balfour Note policy as to reparation payments while M. Poiitcare, Premier of France, indicated that ho stood by I)is previous utterances. A message from Brussels says neither Britain nor Belgium and possibly Italy arc m any hurry to revise the Dawes plan, which is working well. France may have a special reason arising out of her commercial debt of £80,000.000 which will mature in the United States in the summer of 1929. It is primarily Mr. Gilbert who is intent upon reopening tho reparation problem. He is supported by some sections of American political and financial opinion, but hardly by tho Washington Government. Mr. Gilbert had luncheon in Brussels yesterday with members of tho Belgian Cabinet, who laid it down that Belgium desires the maintenance of the Dawes payments as long as the United States fails to diminish proportionately Belgium's debt. A despatch from Berlin says it is understood there that the Dawes revision Committee of exports will bo appointed as soon as Mr. Gilbert concludes bis conversations with the Powers. Germanv will probably have three representatives on tho committee, a Government nominee, a bunker and an industrialist. POLICY OF BRITAIN. REDUCTIONS FAVOURED. SACRIFICES MADE ALREADY. Australian Press Association—United Service LONDON. Oct. 23 Tho stand Britain will take at the forthcoming conference about reparation payments was outlined by the Chancellor of (he Exchequer, Mr. Churchill, in a speech at Chingford. He said Britain would do everything possible to advance any good arrangement to fix Germany's total liability, but she had already made an immense and unequalled contribution toward a reduction of reparation payments. "Wo have removed all idea of taking money, either from the Allies or from Germany, for ourselves," said the Minisi ter. "We have forgiven our debtors, who owed us £2,000,000,000. Everything except what Britain needs to pay her American creditors for munitions has been expended in the common cause. "Xo other Ally has made, or contemplated, anything like an equal sacrifice. Surely nobody can expect us to do more. We have taken our stand irrevocably on the principle of the Balfour Note. "We have to pay .C 33.000.000 a year and are actually receiving now about £32.000,000 from Europe. Therefore wo are on the point of achieving the position aimed at in the Balfour Note, and we shall do everything in our power to maintain that position in the future." GERMAN NATIONALISTS. DAWES PLAN BURDEN. NEW LEADER'S ANXIETIES. | Times Cable. LONDON. Oct. 2H. The Berlin correspondent of the Times says Herr Hugenberg, the new Nationalist leader, addressed the party at a secret meeting. He said Herr Strescnianu's foreign policy had been precipitate and incautious and had only helped to bring France and Britain together again, to the exclusion of Germany. Herr Hugenberg said the most important task for the party was to prevent Germany becoming a world's battlefield. The most serious domestic problem was the enormous indebtedness of the country. If tho Dawes plan continued to he in force for ten years Germany would be sold out. The party must preserve the old German spirit and encourage semi-military organisations. The organ ot the Centre Party suggests that Ilerr Hugenberg is disappointed because he has not achieved the plutocratic influence ho hoped to. He has been dreaming Fascist dreams. Tho Radical newspapers welcome the election,of Herr Hugenberg because they say it is likely ho will produce a powerful anti-Nationalist coalition.