The Star. THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1921. REPARATIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16366, 3 March 1921, Page 6

The Star. THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1921. REPARATIONS.

| The Foreign Minister for Germany I was simply carrying out his instructions i when he addressed the London Conference in deprecation of the reparations terms. When the Allies, after the Paris Conference of January, informed the German Government of their decisions, there was a unanimous howl of rage in the Fatherland. Resolutions of a defiant character were carried all over the country, and 'the Government had at least to make the appearance of bending before the storm. The last injunction to the Foreign Minister when j he left for London was to “ stand I firm,” and to refuse, in the most dei finite terms, to commit the German ’ people to the payments which tho Allies j were demanding. Dr von Simons had i a difficult task, and he must have cut rather a pathetic and even ridiculous j figure ns lie performed 1 it. He anI nounced that Germany- was not in a I position to accept the Paris proposals, and that fifty- milliards of gold marks was all that she could pay. Of that ! amount, he s«id, Germany had already ! paid twenty milliards, and he made a ‘ proposition that the Allies should assist to finance the balance. Dr von Simons | wished the Allies 'to accept annual pav- ; monts of £50,000,000, instead of the annuities fixed by the Paris Conference, amounting to five or six times as much, j The Paris terms relating to reparations may be briefly recapitulated in order : to show the magnitude of the difference between the Allies and Germany. | The Allies required forty-two annuities, I dating from May, 1921. The first two were to be of £100,000.000 each, the : next three of £50,000,000 each, then three of £200,000,000, three of j £250.000.000, and thirty-one of £300,000,000. It is not surprising that ! the Conference listened to the German ! Foreign Minister with a mixture of ! amusement, contempt and indignation. The rejection of the offer is inevitable, ! and it is extremely unlikely that the Allies will appreciably modify their terms. Air • Lloyd George has already stated that the Allies nr© determined to get the last farthing out of Germany, but they will not advance proposals which are impossible of fulfilment. I Vance has taken up an absolutely uncompromising attitude, and her political leaders did not hesitate to let the German Government know what the penalty of resistance would be. Plans were drawn up for an immediate advance of the French troops over the Rhino in the event of a refusal by Germany to accept ’the reparation proposals on the basis of the Paris agreement. The military precaution© in- ; elude the retention of the 1918-19 classes with the colours, and the maintenance of an especially alert armyon the Rhine. France, in fact, expects • to receive a strong mandate from the | Allies, although Britain will probably | be closoly associated in any section i taken. It has been clearly indicated j thaA Germany, who began the war and ; inflicted the greatest material damage, , is not to be permitted 'to act as sole | assessor of the amount of reparations.