The Guardian. AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times,” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15th, 1921. REPARATION QUESTIONS.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 February 1921, Page 2

The Guardian. AND EVENING STAR, With which is incorporated “The West Coast Times,” TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15th, 1921. REPARATION QUESTIONS.

It is easy to understand the “angry and defiant tone” of the Berlin Press towards the reparation bill presented to Germany by the Allied Conference—--11,000 million pounds to be paid in 42 years of instalments. The Berlin Press is probably angry, too, at finding the Allies solidly together at last, where jt had confidtyitly expected weakness or continued divergence ol views. On* this reparation matter it was certainly high lime the Allies came to some decision. Conferences have been held at Boulogne. Brussels, Spa, San Remo all over Western Europe—between Prime Ministers of the victorious Powers; and .the spectacle of these agitaed gentlemen arguing with each other with no perceptible effect about the amount of debt to lie extracted from the defeated Germany raised the false hope in our former enemy’s breast that the victors, true to historical precedent, were going to quarrel fatally over the spoils. This, it must be repeated, was the German hope and belief; tile German is an adept at jumping to conclusions and be has jumped wrong again. There is no doubt that this selfdeception is in part responsible for the German anger; any impartial observer, lot alone a hostile one, would have concluded as they apparently did that the plea of destitution, exhaustion .—the same old “Merei, Kanierad!” before the Allied Council would perpetuate the Allies’ indecision, leave the reparation debt, indefinite, and perhaps in time enable Germany to escape further payment. The Germany’s plea of bankruptcy was obvious, and as long as tlie Allies left the reparation debt indefinite—“as much as Germany can afford—it was likely to be a constant source of irritation. We know that if the Germans had won the war they would have shown no mercy whatever France knows it from stern experience and the final fixing of the debt is due principally lo the efforts of Franco in the Allied Council. The British standpoint—preserved in honour of the Ver- “ lilies pact with \meriea —that Germany must mil he fatally crippled, has had its reign in that council, and Germany has never ceased to whine and raise petty protests and delays in order to annoy .France The Inter-Allied Commission has long been working in Germany, and is still working there; it has probably been able to assist the Allied Council to arrive at a definite estimate of Germany’s capacity to pay. Tt is noteworthy that, simultaneously . with the presentation of the bill by the Paris Conference, comes the cabled news front New York that plans for the floating of a big German loan in the United States are to be announced as soon as Congress has formally ratified peace with our late enemies. The war debts of Britain, France, Italy and Belgium in America alone amount to just under 9000 million dollars. Rome such international financial transaction as i that now indicated seems inevitable I sooner or later.