GERMANY MUST PAY

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14585, 7 February 1921, Page 5

GERMANY MUST PAY

FOR HER DEVASTATION BRITISH PREMIER'S DECLARATION. TREATY MUST BE COMPLIED'WITH. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) Received February 6. 5.5 p.m. LONDON, February 5. Mr Lloyd George was presented with the Freedom of Burmingham. Referring to the Paris Conference, he said that Bismarck in his task 42 years ago was concerned with only one State, while the Paris Conference had to settle the new destiny of many States and carve out new Republics. It would have dismayed the old German statesman to settle the disarmament and reduction of the most powerful military machine the world had ever seen to a roree of 100,000, and, further, to decide how many millions of indemnity the Empire which Bismarck founded must pay for the devastation il had wrought. The Allies had arrived at a complete agreement within a week. He could say nothing as to what had been done in "regard to Turkey. It was quite imposssible to give an idea what was to be done for the reconstruction of Central Europe, but trade would not flourish until- they were able to restore settled conditions there. Mr Lloyd George said It was not merely the signature of peace that was required, but the re-creation of an atmosphere of peace and the restoration of real neighbourliness among the nations. The first condition of that was that the peace treaties must be respected. "We mean to see,'' he continued, "that the treaties are observed. The Allies may be trusted to adapt the provisions of the Treaty to any new conditions arising, but the Treaty must stand." There were, continued the Minister, notably two conditions that Germany must respect—firstly, the Treaty stipulations in regard to disarmament. They could no longer tolerate the terrible equipments and armaments. He was glad to say that since the armistice Germany had made as great progress in disarming as she could the terrible machine she had built up. This they would see when he told them that since the war she had surrendered 31,000 cannon, 10,000 trench mortars, 33,000,000 shells, 70,000 machine guns, 3,000,000 rifles, and i 11,000,000 cartridges altogether. Germany had surrendered by far the greater part of her equipment, but she had still far too irany materials of war and the process must be completed. She still had a large number of armed men forming irregular combinations. There was something in her excuse that there had been something like a revolution, and she must protect her own people. While making allowances for this the Allies were determined that Germany must comply with the. Treaty, especially In regard to the machinery for turning out cannon. In the coming reparations Germany must not be allowed to pay in a way that would do greater injury to the country receiving the payments. Germany, bankrupt as she is for the moment, can pay considerable sums inside her own country, but the moment she tries to pay outside she will be confionted by the exchange problem. This problem had baffled the experts when considering the indemnity, but wo have presented the bill, and Germany does not like it. The hill is framed on the scale of Germany's prosperity. If she was not prosperous she could not pay; i r she is prosperous she can and must pay. We started on a comparatively low figure, realising Germany's difficulty and knowing that under present conditions she can only pay a minimum. lit believed that Herr Simons was honest and sincere. Herr Simons complained that he had not received the full till. "Well," said Mr Lloyd George, "he can have the full bill; it is quite ready." Let Germany settle down to peace, continued the Premier. Once Germany and its people got their minds away from war they would become prosperous. He advised Herr Simons to accept the bill. It was intolerable that the country which inflicted damage while escaping itself should escape with lighter taxation than the victims of her wanton attack. We cannot allow that. The whole German people were solid behind the war in 1914, and if they had won they would gladly have sharked the booty. It was not a question of imposing economic slavery on Germany. Was France to he burdened while Germ.wiy escaped? No! Her demands were righteous and must be met. If Herr Simons had fair counter proposals the Allies would consider them, but 'f rrerely an attempt to evade payment we would not put up with that. Although Herr Simons was fair and reasonable at Spa he 'Mr Lloyd George) had an uneasy feeling that the 1914 men were behind him. He could hear their muttcrings drowning Herr Simons' tones. Nothing would give the Allied peoples a desire to take strong action except the feeling that we had the same Germany t" deal with desirous of treating treaties a- mere scraps of paper. The Allies were as united as ever in their purpose (Cheers.) Received February 7, 8.5 a.m. LONDON, February 6. Mr Lloyd George, who was the guest at the Birmingham Jewellers' Association dinner, said he had an uneasy suspicion that Germany was not trying to establish her currency, and was not trying to make her Budget balance. When lie practised as a solicitor he was used In seeing men coming into Court in very ragged clothes to answer judgment summonses, expecting the Judge to say "How can you expect a poor fellow like that to pay?" Germany was adopting similar tactics, hoping that people would say, "They can't make both ends meet, how can you expect them to pay an indemnity." Germany is a strong, capable and efficient nation. She can and will pay. She will feel better when the indemnity Is fixed, and she knows what she has to deal with.