LONDON CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 2 March 1921, Page 2

LONDON CONFERENCE

BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSN., COPYRIGHT. AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. GERMAN DELEGATION’S ARRIVAL "LONDON, Feb. 28. Dr Simons and 20 members of the German delegation arrived at Victoria station to attend the London Conference. A large crowd was present. No demonstration took place. ALLIES MEET GERMANS. LONDON, Feb. 28. The Allied Supreme Council will meet the Geiman delegates to-morrow morning, and hear Dr Simons’ statement, which the Allies will consider during the afternoon. Mr Lloyd George will make a statement on Wednesday. TURKS SCORE A WIN. LONDON, March 1. The “Daily Express” states that the Allies .have agreed to modify the Sevres Treaty in Turkey’s favour, and the . Turks have accepted the alterations.

GERMAN DELEGATE HUSTLED. LONDON, Feb. 28. Dr Simons was surprised to hear of to-day’s engagements. He says lie wanted to get to bed early, but will be obliged to work most of the night in order to have his statement ready. Ho thought he had until Wednesday. GERMAN LOOT. (Received This Day at 8.-30 a.m.) PARIS, Feb. 1. The “Echo de Paris” Berlin correspondent says the French Commission selecting from Germany, material cairied off from northern France, found up to date four hundred thousand machines worth eighty millions sterling, forming seventy-five per cent of the lost machinery. GERMAN PROPOSALS. THE ALLIED ATTITUDE. 1 Received This Day at 8.30 a.m.) LONDON, March ;1. Von Simons stated that Germany was not in a position to accept the Paris proposal, which was based on too transient a conception of German industry. Fifty milliard gold marks was all that Germany was able to pay. Germany estimated she had. already paid tv enty milliards and suggested that the re " maining thirty should be provided bj an international loan, eight milliards remaining and twenty-two to be capitalised, Germany paying interest and sinking fund. Hon Lloyd Gorge intimated that the Allies could not discuss an alternative to tho Paris proposal.

VON SIMON’S STATEMENT. (Received This Day at 9.45 a.m.) LONDON, Mahrc 1. At the Conference Hon. Lloyd George invited von Simons to speak. The latter said lie was unable to accept the Paris proposals in their present form, due to the fundamental difficulty of raising industry effectively to a maximum in order to pay tlie amount, while on the other hand preventing German competition being a danger to other nations. The German Government are taking tho Paris proposals as a starting point and had arrived at very different conclusions. Paris imposed annuities of six milliards. This must be paid by a surplus of exports. Experts agreed that in order to pay annuities German exports would require to be four times gr e ater than the annuities. This ratio was chiefly due to the necessity of importing raw material and food.