MAKING GERMANY PAY?

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXVI, Issue 18162, 26 April 1921, Page 5

MAKING GERMANY PAY?

THE HYTHE CONFERENCE. A SEMI-OFFICIAL REPORT. ft \ r WILL SUPPORT RUHR OCCUPATION. Received April 25, 5.5 p.m. LONDON. April 24. It ie semi-officially announced that after the conference Mr. Lloyd George received newspaper men at Hythe, and said: ‘‘Britain greatly sympathises with the French proposals, and will support occupation of the Ruhr district unless Germany fulfils the Treaty obligations. Germany’s last note is quite inadequate. It makes no definite proposal for payment of the balance of the reparations, still less the six hundred millions due on May Ist. Germany’s proposal to supply material and labour for the restoration of the devastated areas will be welcome, but J’rance has been applying to Germany t*r six months for materials without result. MERELY INFORMAL PROPOSAL. Received April 25, 5.5 p.m. LONDON, April 24. A Hythe communique states; There Was a long conference this afternoon, at which the French proposals were discussed. No decision was arrived at, because it was merely an informal discussion between two Premiers and no decision can be peached until the meeting wirlt the rest of the Allies. The Supreme Council has been summoned for Saturday next at Paris if the coal strike is ended, otherwise at London. THE MAIN ISSUE. BRITAIN'S PROBLEMS. Widely divergent issues. i Received April 25. 5.5 p.m. LONDON. April 24. The conversation at Hythe was purely a diplomatic contest between the two Premiers, the military and economic experts of both countries oeing left at home. 'The main question at issue is whether Britain shall give active or moral support to 4 rance’s determination to occupy the uhr. Britain is faced with the ■-oblem of whether she will lose more in trade than she ever received in indemnities. As one publicist puts it, in cases of international default it is one thing to seize goods, but quite another thing to transmute them into cash. Other quarters view the seizure of the Ruhr with appre-. hension as inflicting further injury | on the British coal industry, with increased disorganisation of the ex-, change. There were the two views presented to the French Government I last week. The first was that sug-; gested by M. Seydoux. the French | economic expert at the Brussels Ccn-j ferenTe,»ia -Which he said theFe should be Allied control of German I exports and coal with a threat of military occupation if Germany obstructed. The second scheme was the definite occupation of the Ruhr. The fact that on Friday the experts consulted Foch and the military leaders led to the opinion that the second plan had been adopted. Moderate feeling in England does not go all the way with M. Briand’s attitude that the time for talk is past. While making due allowance for France’s great suffering, there is a feeling that she is creating in Germany hatred as great as was generated in France over 1870. It is reported that Mr. Asquith, Lord Robert Cecil and Mr. Barnes sent a memorandum to Mr. Lloyd George appealing to him not to lend assistance to further sanctions. If France is fully determined to > occupy the Ruhr. Mr. Lloyd George may find himself in a diplomatic impasse. It is believed he nourished hopes of an eleventh hour acceptable proposition from Germany. Certain circles view Germany’s latest proposal with regard to devastated areas as a process which would ultimately result in thd expansion of German industrialism. Reconstruction by German workmen with German materials would enormously assist her unemployment problem, without ameliorating similar conditions in France. There is some confusion over Germany’s attitude over the Reich’s bank gold. The report from Brussels is erroneous through wrong interpretation of. a telephone message between the Reparations Commission at Paris and the foreign office at Brussels. The fact is that Germany rejected the demand on the ground that it was private money. She points out that tinder the Versailles - Treaty she is prohibited from exporting gold before Mdy Ist. She is willing to prolong the Treaty prohibition until October. GERMAN CABINET UNABLE TO DECIDE. Received April 25, 5.5 p.m. PARIS, April 24. The German Cabinet terminated this morning a long sitting. It was unable to agree on the nature of the propositions t<r be sent to President Harding. Cabinet will reassemble on Monday.