REPARATIONS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19009, 3 November 1923, Page 9

REPARATIONS.

SPEECH BY M. POINCAHE. NO FAITH IN GERMANY. CONFERENCE RESERVATIONS EEI-ITERATED. Pnu AtKociation —By Telegraph—Copyrignt PARIS, November 1. M. Poincare, in a speech at Nevers, again charged Germany with organising bankruptcy, though her resources were immense. He said they were now witnessing the last spasms of resistance in the Ruhr. After referring to the fact that the officials, the railwaymen and others were returning to duty and increasing the deliveries of coal he declared that France was beginning to receive a reward for her efforts. It was therefore not the moment to change the line of action, and trance would not change. M. Poincare reiterated his intentions and reservations regarding the proposed committee of experts and concluded: “What injustice and peril will be involved if Germany is freed from a portion of her debts and in a few years re-appears restored and enriched to humiliate France J We must not let the Treaty be touched." —Reuter. FRENCH REPLY TO BRITAIN GERMANY MUST PAY IN FULL. LONDON, November 2. (Received Nov. 2, at 10 p.m.y The Morning Post’s Paris correspondent says that M. Poincare’s reply to Britain emphasises that it should be made clear in the invitation to W ashington that the object of the Committee of Experts will not be, “to examine into the capacity of payment by Germany,” but into Germany s present capacity to pay. The French view is and always has been that Germany will be capable, sooner or later, of paying the 132 milliards of gold marks in full, which is the amount fixed by the Reparations Commission in May, io2i —A. and N.Z. Cable. WASHINGTON EXASPERATED. WASHINGTON, November 1. The State Department is exasperated by M. Poincare’s restrictions on the reparations inquiry and is ready _ to withdraw unless France accepts unlimited investigation by experts.—Reuter. CONDITIONS IN GERMANY. ; A i POLITICAL CRISIS. DEMANDS BY SOCIALISTS. BERLIN, November 1. The political crisis has become acute, owing to the submission of a series of demands to Dr Stresemann by the Socialist Parliamentary Party. After a conference, which lasted for seven hours, resolutions were carried stating that the party would only remain in the Coalition if its requests were conceded, and demanding (1), the abolition of the state of emergency; (2) that the Government should adopt stronger measures against Bavaria; (3) that the maintenance of order in Saxony should’ be laid down as a police task, and that the Nationalists who recently joined the Reichswehr must be dismissed immediately. Another resolution dealt with the stabilisation of the currency and the, compulsory sale of foodstuffs by farmers. A reply is required by to-morrow. The Government has decided to reduce the number of State officials by 25 per cent, in the interests of economy.— Reuter. CURRENCY REGULATIONS. . : NEW UNIT CREATED. BERLIN, November 1. The new currency regulations instruct the banks to cancel the last six figures in all accounts. Thus a new unit is created, equivalent to 1,000,000 marks. The reason adduced for the change is that the columns in the bank books are not lai’ge enough to accommodate! the string of noughts.—Reuter. SOVIET INTRIGUING. A SENSATIONAL REPORT. LONDON, November 1. The Riga correspondent of The Times says: “Russia is watching Germany like a hawk. The Soviet’s political bureau has concluded that a rising in Germany led by Communists is inevitable, and it has been planning accordingly. The German Communists are receiving instructions direct from the Moscow agitators, and money is being supplied lavishly. Meetings of workmen, throughout Russia have been ordered. The army chiefs met recently, and decided on, the immediate active employment of the Red army tc settle the German - question, and if necessary they would keep Poland employed. The mobilising aijd training of Territorials last week caused rumours that ’war was imminent, but spies sent to Poland have returned with news that Poland is well prepared for war, and this is having a quietening effect on the masses, who do not want to act rashly.—The Times. THE AMERICAN ATTITUDE. PARTICIPATION JEOPARDISED. WASHINGTON, November 1. (Received Nov. 2, at 8.50 p.m.) It is increasingly evident that the French Foreign Office’s interpretations of M. Poincare’s Nevers remarks have shocked and surprised the officials at Washington. The officials here believed that M. Poincare had accepted the expert committee plan, only reserving the French rights under the Versailles Treaty and insisting that, the committee should function under the Reparations Commission. To what extent these limitations of the scope of the inquiry will influence American participation is not indicated, but the officials regard a plan which will not provide a full examination of German’s capacity to pay as an abortive effort. The United States does not share the view attributed to M. Poincare that Germany’s debts are fixed and unchangeable.—A. arid N.Z. Cable. (Received Nov. 2, at 10 p.m.) The statements attributed to M. Poincare in Paris despatches indicating the desire of the French Government to re-