FRANCE & REPARATIONS

Hokitika Guardian, 13 January 1923, Page 3

FRANCE & REPARATIONS

[ill TELEGItAPn— I’KIt PRESS ASSOCIATION]

BRITISH ACTION. LONDON, .Jim. 1 1 The British Ciibinet discussed the position arising from the occupation of Ruhr. It is authoritatively leanied that no spectacular net ion like I he withdrawal of the British troops lroln the Rhine is contemplated. Britain will continue to he represented on the Reparations Commission and ( ounei! of Ambassadors, thereby proving her earnest, desire to act as tar as possible in co-operation with France, while disapproving of the latter's' policy, meantime waiting and reaching results ol J'Ttilien’s action. OKR.MAN AMBASSADOR. BARIS, .la.n. It The f.'ermaji Ambassador leit without notifying liis departure to the I'orcign Office, which consequently does not regard the departure as a recall. FROM II INTFNTIONF. I PARIS, .lan. 12 i The •'.Journal" mys coal from Ruhr, uncustomed to he sent to Germany will now carry four marks duty. which Km nee intends Lo put in the exchequer. With this and the proposed customs ring, France will soon have a milliard. gkr.man National .mokrning. A.MKTKR DAM , .Inn. 11 The German Government decided to take 11 1 w following measures immediately after the French occupation was accomplished: (I) The peace treaty will he declared broken and its execution inoperative: (2) Germany will no longer negotiate with the Reparati, ns Commission unless the injustice is removed : 'IT. ■ use of alcoholic liquors will he reduced; i I) Fluidity v. ill he declared the national day of mourn- ■ i 11 g, HKRLIN, .Tan. 12 Sunday will he national mourning ; day. Amusements will cense and (lags will he half-masted, and special services will he held in the churches. The Trade i nious are also stopping work for half an hour on .Monday. The Communists urged a general strike to light both the French and the Cutm ( ahinet. MARTIAL LAW. LONDON. .Jan, II Martial law has been proclaimed In the French in the ocettpied area of the R nhr.

TIIK C().\l, DKIJVKIMKS. j HfoRUX, .luii. 11. ' The Froneli com|>lct<>iy occupied Ksmmi in 1 lie iiftornoon. The- Ocrnian (Invornmoiit lias ait - "iiniHiod that, its deliveries of coul (n tlio Allies will now he stopped, us it. Mould lie impossible to continue the sumo while the French mid lieleian authorities have replaced the Ruhr coal syndicate, and moreover, all coal forcibly extracted, must he paid for by the (Jovei nnients responsible.

I’l U.VcARE's SPEECH. PA R LS. Jim U. •VI. Poincare. the Premier. received an ovation in the French Oitumhor of Deputies. Mo said that Franco was .standing up in the (kifonoe of her rights. Ho said:— The Germans’ series of defaults authorises the Allies, or an Ally to act. We are compelling respect lor France and for the Versailles Treaty. Wo are aide to sanction alone, hut our Belgian friends wish to remain on our side.

Referring to Mr Bonar Law’s propoM.al to submit the reparations dill'erenees to internalional arhitration, he repikid that n,o matter bow powerful or liow honourable are the international financiers, lie bad no desire to have them arbitrate the differences be-w-cien, France and England.

Al. Poincare in enneluding said:--England’s absence will render the production guarantees less productive; but it is better to get a little than to get nothing nt all. Who has been foolcid— -England or otir.selv.-s? M. Poincare said that under Air Bonar Law’s scheme France would risk finding out that -lie would otilv receive eleven milinrds of gold marks for reparations, whe ruts site alremlv has ai'vttnct'tl one hundred milliards on thi-tiet-otinl. Aloreover, the British programme, with extraordinary improdu: :■ favoured a rapid re-e.xtuhli-hmeiu of the German industrial and cdmuwrcial hegemony, with practically no internal or foreign deld, and. with the reparations reduced to twenty .milliard-. Germany, in fifteen or twenty years, would he able to extinguish her dehl , and leave Franco to carry die burden ol her ruins, and Britain of her tinemplov merit. The British programme proposed to establish the supremacy of Germany over thu whole of Europe. When At. Poincare concluded his speech, he demanded a vote of confidence.

M. Blum, a Socialist, protested against France's action as being fraught with terrible eonsetnieiiees. This provoked angry expostulations. The members became so heated that the Chairman was obliged to suspend the sitting.

Upon a resumption, Al. Erlich, an anti-Bolshevik, protested against tinFrench Communists’ action in speaking in Essen. He suggested that they were in the German lleiche's pay. M. Couturier thru threw a hamllul of coppers into Al. Erich’s face and called hint “the Communists’ Julias.” Tim uproar wits then renewed, nsulting in a further suspension. When calm was restored, fiirt-ln r interpedatioiis wore adjourned.

YOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN POINCARE. Finally a vote of confidence was passed in Al. Poincare by 478 votes to 86. A PLEDGE FOR THE (MORATORIUM. NICAV YORK, dan 11. Tiie New York World's Brussels correspondent interviewed the Belgian Premier. Al. Thetinis, who stated that why France had decided to enter the Ruhr was in order to take thei'v the guarantees a.nd pledges which she !ionsatiered an indispensable counterpart of the moratorium that has been granted, to Germany. The Belgian Government thinks the same way. for it must have reparations, and u tnot possible to wait for them. It icmploying this method of pressure, because for vein's all the rourilmtoix measure shave failed. If reasonable proposals are made to her. sh. will always regard them favourably.

COMMISSION I’I.AN Xl'',W YORK. .lan 11 Th<- “5. T ow York Tinu-s" Washington correspondent says: It is understood that the door is still open Ini the acceptance of I ; S.A. Hughes’s Financial Commission, i\ France wishes to accept. There arc some indications that Franco may moderate her plans for tho occupation, of the Ruhr and may not pons far ns she originally intended, the hope is .till not abandoned thivt Franco may m tho I'Khtr m,

.Ttt.sserand f French Ambassador) and -Mr llueliA- conferred ter au hour, hut the nature of their <on vernations luvnot been disclosed. Paris report- states that Franco had not understood the Immer ( : xrlia nge of views between Air 11ug h and hi. .J itssera ltd. These reports an not. taken seriously in official circle. Imre. 11 FILM AX PROTEST. j \FW YORK, dan Id. The New York “Times’' Washing- , ton corn "pondeut Uclegra pi i- :- -1 loir

Wieldlieldt (I Icrina il Alinister) delivered a Merman Government protest again-l the Ruhr invasion to Al-r [pigii:- this evening. hut it is believed The I'nited State- does not intend to use the Dorman protest as a bn-i----for aov represelltation s to the Allies. The State Department ha- published the German protest which alleges the Treaty of Versailles does not permit the Rilin' occupation, because Germany's defaults in delm l ie- of wood and coal would - according t< a Note of the Reparations Commission of March 3rd.. 11 1-2'2 always only just d.t demamlfor sid>scuei|nt payments. Ihe V . sailles Treaty did not mi territorial sanctions. and measures a lowed hv tic.' Treaty against G’'nnn».v could only I'i’h'd by lie Alli-d Powers as a whole, and not hv sim.de Powers of their own acont. Germanv -ays she do.- not mleiio to meet v'mlem-i with vn h-nce nor to plv lo this breach of the lrcat.i. > SO lone as the state ol aitutr.- -.onliat. to the Treaty exists Germany is in ' " pOSi !; n " ‘puwc w which I'roil'd' l l tions to tlios(‘ I (au i A about lid.s state of allatfs.

GERMAN M I'.SSAf ; flic, O'vcd. this day at i'.TI LONDON. January U-Me-sape- from IF son are reassuring. Although the pepolat ion is vei.V ev'itei (!eorde : s are reported. Tl.e ammonia syndicate fo'lown: . tue .sample of t’ne coal syndicate irmiol red from Tiochnim to Hamburg. I! ii hr railwavnion 'ill join in 'he sU-'lte on Monday. Nearly all employers are supporting the worke s. PARIS. da nmi rv I'2. [i j., reported the German Government has derided not to admit 'he [.Tench and Belgian joMinuli-ts to sit tines of the Iteiehst 10. PARIS, dnnnary Id A message from If i>i:t -fates the Soviet is emu eii Ira tin" additional troops near Hie Polish frontier, where extensive movement- are neemring. Roles view the demonstrations ns a threat.that should Poland assist France, Russia will intervene.