BOOK OF THE WEEK

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1932, Page 1 (Supplement)

BOOK OF THE WEEK

SOME INNER HISTORY

(By

C.E.)

"The Truth about Reparations and War Debts,” by David Lloyd George: William Heinemann Ltd., London, through Thos. Avery and Sons, Ltd., New Plymouth. No one knows more about the origin and the early history of war debts and reparations than the man who was at the head of the British Government when peace was made and for some time afterwards and since has been a studious onlooker. And there is probably no one living to-day who could write a better book on the subject. Mr. Lloyd George, of course, has his little weaknesses, but his capacity to grasp big ideas cannot be questioned, whatever may be said of his handling of some of them. On the subject of reparations and war debts one expects him to speak with, authority and to be helpful, and his book justifies the expectation. It is not- a big book, but quite sufficient tb cover the ground very thor-

oughly. As a means of recalling and clarifying the history of momentous events which transpired at a time when many of us had not quite settled down to calm contemplation of what was going on it will be found invaluable. I should strongly advise everyone who can do so to refresh his mind with this book so that he may be able the more easily to understand the important discussions which will be reported in the near future from Lausanne and elsewhere.

| Dealing first with reparations, Mr. Lloyd George graphically sketches the immediate post-war situation and the work of the Peace Conference and subsequent gatherings. By quotation from official reports and other documents he gives us something far more interesting than a formal record of events could be; he reveals the intimate inner history of the laborious attempts of the Allies to solve the problem of making the enemy countries pay for the war. Most people, I think, will find that in this respect the book adds materially to their knowledge. If I tried to follow tlife story through I should soon reach the bottom of my column and have to leave unmentioned some of the things that ought to be

said. In the briefest space therefore I must simply say that Mr. Lloyd George has believed all along that far too much has been asked of Germany and from the outset foresaw the difficulties which are now so evident to everyone. He takes pretty much the same view of war debts as of reparations. “German reparations are now dead,” he declares. In his view it is “not worth while keeping afloat any part of the reparation debts.” He is fully convinced that “salvage operations to rescue any scrap from the deep into which it has sunk are not worth the cost and risk.” He would cancel future reparation payments, which he emphatically declares would not be a breach of the sanctity of the Treaty of Versailles, and he would treat the war debts similarly. No measure can have,

a chance of clearing up the world’s troubles “until you clear out of the way this rubble of war ledgers.” If that appears to be an inadequate summary of Mr. Lloyd George’s admirably marshalled survey the reason is that there is something else to be' said about the book. Serious as its subject and purpose are,’ readers will find it' anything but dry. Mr. Lloyd . George still writes with all his old vivacity, makes arresting phrases, and gives delightful pen-pictures of some of the statesmen with whom he was associated in ms heyday. . .'n . ..m The most elaborate description of all

is that of ,M; Doumer, Finance Minister of France in 1921 and later President, who was assassinated not long ago. Mr. Lloyd George depicts him as'a “cultured man, of solid rather than brilliant qualities. He is an attractive speaker, an able and experienced admin--istrator, whose outlook represents that of.the average middle-class Frenchman. M. Doumer s unblemished integrity, his honourable career, and the terrible sacrifice he was called upon to make for his country in the Great War ... all

had won for him by 1921 the respect of Frenchmen of all classes. His charm of , manner —a charm arising out of a kindly and genial nature —added popularity to respect. . . . It may be taken for granted that he is generally acknowledged to belong to that type of calm and temperate politician who shuns extreme views on all questions, but has not achieved much in the settlement of any question.” And with characteristic incisiveness ' Mr. Lloyd George adds: “That is the favourite timber out of which the Third Republic carves its Presidents.”

M. Briand figures as “that most reasonable and sagacious of French Ministers,” but M. Poincare, the evil genius of the peace conferences, seems to have been Mr. Lloyd George’s beta noir. His opinions on everything German were “those of a Salvation Army captain about the devil.” .Here is a fine contrast: “M. Briand was a Br'eton born

and bred on a coast never successfully raided for centuries by a foreign invader. M. Poincare was a Lorrainer born in a province repeatedly overrun and ravaged by Teutonic hosts—twice within living memory and several times within the last 150 years. . . . M. Briand is genial, humorous, tolerant, broadminded and warmhearted. He has the imagination and suppleness of mind of a purely Celtic race. He is essentially an appeaser. M. Poincare is cold, reserved, rigid, with a mind of unimaginative and ungovernable legalism. He has neither humour nor good humour. In conference he was dour and morose. In appearance he is obviously Flemish by race. He is the most un-French Frenchman I have ever met.” These quotations will justify my remark that Mr. Lloyd George remains an apt phrase-maker. Let me conclude with a few of the gems he scatters lavishly through his delightful book.

“Countries . . find that the tale of Midas ought ‘to have taught them that gold is indigestible. It may be all right in the teeth of a nation, but it should not be allowed to travel any further.” ‘■British export trade was only 83 per cent, of its pre-war height. That is our real devastated area.” “If as losers (in war) they have to pay costs, they must not grumble that those costs are heavy. The fees in the Courts of War are all on the highest scale.” New fiction this week includes: A Prince of Romance, Pertwee; Concealed Turning, Rosemary’ Rees; Secret Sentence, Vicki Baum; The Manor House Mystery, N. Syrett; Women Men Forget, Dorothy Black; A Fire of DriftWood, D. K. Broster; Mad Sir Peter, ■Frank Dilnot. All procurable from Thomas Avery end Sons, Ltd., Book-, sellers, New Plymouth.* • J