REPARATIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18906, 5 July 1923, Page 7

REPARATIONS.

BRITAIN AND FRANCE

A STATEMENT PROMISED.

HINT OF FRENCH ATTITUDE

Frees Association—By Telegraph—Copyright PARIS, July 3. M. Poincare will give the Ministerial Coiuncil to-day a complete resume of the instructions which have been sent to the Ambassador in London. The Echo do Paris says: “M. Poincare will deal with all eventualities which may occur in connection with Great Britain s attitude towards I ranee.” The general opinion in the lobbies favours the continuance of the occupation of Ruhr till Germany pays. It is understood that M. Poincare wishes before Parliament rises to ratify the Washington Agreement. He also desires to keep in touch with Parliament during the critical Anglo-French negotiations.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

FRENCH AND BELGIAN REPLIES.

LONDON, July 3. (Received July 4, at 8.10 p.m.) The French and Belgian Ambassadors saw Lord Curzon during this afternoon. It is understood that the replies of both countries to the British questionnaire will be in the Government’s possession to-night. —A. and N.Z. Cable.

THE SAAR TERRITORY.

INQUIRY INTO ADMINISTRATION,

GENEVA, July 3. The Council of the League of Nations decided to hold an inquiry into the Saar Administration. The members of the Saar Commission -would therefore be summoned before the council.—A. and N.Z. Cable.

MEMORANDUM TO LEAGUE.

COMMISSION EGUNDLY CONDEMNED.

GENEVA, July 3. (Received July 4, at 8.15 p.m.) A memorandum presented to the Council of the League of Nations by the inhabitants of the Saa,v Valley asserts that the intolerable acts of the present governing Commission have brought about an impossible state of affairs, and the present Commission has lost the respect and confidence of the people owing to its narrowmindedness, its disregard lor the rights of the people, its lack of understanding of their needs, and its misuse of power.—A. und N.Z. Cable. AN EXTRAORDINARY DECREE. Under the Treaty of Versailles the Government of the Saar Basin was entrusted to a commission of five members nominated by the League of Nations, which, in March last, issued an Emergency Decree making it an offence punishable by fine or imprisonment to criticise publicly the Treaty of Versailles or the actions of the League. Sir John Simon, speaking in the House of Commons, characterised this decree as extraordinary and as a most astonishing abuse of legislative authority. He said that the decree provided punishment not exceeding five years’ imprison ment and a fine not exceeding 10,000 francs on any person who publicly cast discredit on the Versailles Treaty or insulted the League of Nations. The operation of the decree was also attacked by the Saar Press _ Association, which forwarded two petitions to the Council of the League praying for its removal. The petitioners pointed out that the decree was being used as an instrument to suppress the liberty of the press in the Saar territory. Four newspapers, they stated, had been suspended because they had published in the text the statement of an American journalist with regard to incidents at the Krupp works in Essen. These and other suspensions were almost exclusively due to reports which referred to France’s military proceedings in the Ruhr area, and were not connected in any way with order and security in the Saar. The petitioners therefore earnestly requested that the decree should be withdrawn, and that a commission should be sent to the Saar to conduct an impartial inquiry whether it was justified by the conditions the^e.

AUSTRALIA’S RIGHTS.

OPINION OF MR HUGHES.

SYDNEY, July 4. Mr W. M. Hughes, in a special article in the Daily Telegraph dealing with German reparations, points out that Australia’s share under the scheme approved by the Reparations Commission in 1921 was £64,000,000. Ho says he considers that the voice of Australia should be heard before any modification in the present scheme of reparations is agreed to or even discussed by Great Britain. He thinks it high time that Australia raised her voice in the matter. The question is one on which the Federal Parliament should be given an opportunity of expressing its opinion.