EUROPE’S PROBLEMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19021, 17 November 1923, Page 9

EUROPE’S PROBLEMS

AMBASSADORS DIFFER. A FRUITLESS CONFERENCE. SENSATIONAL FRENCH STATEMENT Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright PARIS. November 16. (Received November 16, at 5.5 p.m.) The conterence of ambassadors sat lor two hours without reaching a decision. France is believed to have made the following demands : —• (1) The ex-Crown Prince’s extradition and his internment for life. (2) The complete re-establishment of inter-Allied military control at Berlin. France proposed—firstly, that the Allies should make a joint demarche to Berlin; secondly, if the Allies were agreed sanctions should later, individually or collectively, be decided upon; thirdly, if the Allies did not agree each Government should be allowed to take the measures it thought fit. A bald communique stated that the conference had adjourned until Saturday to allow further consultations with the different Governments. It is learned that the British Ambassador remarked that from a judicial viewpoint, if the extradition of the exCrown Prince were demanded, it would be necessary to insist on the same treatment of all war criminals, whose handing over had not yet been demanded. _ M. Paul Gambon declared that Russia was manufacturing arms and ammunition for Germany, and that Herr Stinnes’s employees had left the Ruhr in order to make arms and munitions in unoccupied Germany.—A. and N.Z. Cable. IRRECONCILABLE VIEWS. IS THE TREATY CRUMBLING? I LONDON, November 16(Received November 16, at 5.5 p.m.) The Morning Post says it is hard to resist the conclusion that the Versailles Treaty is crumbling owing to its administrators’ lack of faith. Neither the ambassadors’ conference nor the Reparations Commission can agree, for the simple reason that both act under the instructions of their Governments, and the two chiefly concerned —E ranee and Britain —view the ’ European situation from totally different standpoints.—A. and N.Z. Cable. A CRAVE DECLARATION. FRANCO-BRITISH RELATIONS STRAINED. LONDON. November 15. Viscount Grey made a grave declaration in the course of a speech at Bath. He said that things in Europe were shaping for a new war, perhaps not immediately, but very certainly. A. lot of the trouble was due to the fact that France and Britain had not been pulling together. He was bound to say that Britain had been doing its best to work with France, and the cause of their not pulling together was that France had conducted a- policy in the Ruhr which we. believed in the beginning was a mistake, and would produce results opposite to French expectations. Events had proved us right. Britain must stick to the League of Nations. He had not expected to see Britain again involved in war, but even if it unfortunately Happened he would rather see us engaged in was to uphold'the Covenant of the League than anythin g else.—A. and N.Z. Cable. GERMANY’S LAST CHANCE. INITIATIVE WITH BRITAIN PROPOSAL BY GENERAL SMUTS. LONDON, November 15. General Smuts, in a letter to The Times, says: “The last chance of staving off a European disaster is for Britain without delay, to summon a conference of the Powers interested in reparations, which should not be confined to the narrow issue of what Germany can pay, but should be extended to an examination of the whole question in its widest aspects. From a financial and economic viewpoint we would also have to consider measures and devise means of putting Germany’s finances in order, reforming her currency, balancing her Budget, and securing lilre necessary foreign credit; aiso to find out how Germany could secure real peace and be accorded an opportunity to work out her salvation without the constant, menace of interference from outside- Germany cannot pay reparations unless her currency is established and her credit restored, which wi\\ be impossible unless tbe total reparations sum is fixed. The,' situation has become so grave that it is threatening the future. It should be our aim to reach a real solution with no further marking of time. Our duty is clearly to go for%vard, even though France is not with us.” —The Times. THE KRIJPP DIRECTORS. GRANTED THEIR RELEASE. BEIRLIN, November 15. Hen’ Krupp and his co-directors have been provisionally released, presumably in consequence of an agreement for the resumption of reparations deliveries from the Krupp mines. It is generally assumed that this means a definite pardon. Herr Mueller was also released. —Reuter. FRANCE’S WAR DEBTS. SOME PERTINENT QUESTIONS. LONDON. November 15. (Received November 16, at 5.5 p.m.) Mr Neville Chamberlain, replying to questions in the House of Commons, 'aid that Prance’s debt to Britain, with accrued interest, totalled £612,000,000. It was true that the French Chamber had voted credits of 800,000,000 francs tor armaments for the Utile Entente. U’e had received no interest on either France’s or the Little Entente’s war debts. Mr A. M. Samuel: Is not this kn opportunity to represent to F'ranco that if she can" find money for armaments and make loans to other states she. should make nayments to Britain?—(Cheers.) Sir J. H. Davidson : Cannot representations also be made to Germany as they bought nearly all Australia’s wool? No replies were given.—A. and N.Z.