GERMAN ITEMS

Hokitika Guardian, 2 May 1923, Page 2

GERMAN ITEMS

AUSTRALIAN AND N.Z. CABLE ASSOCIATION. GERMAN PROPOSALS. BERLIN, -May 1. It is now considered doubtful if Germany’s Note to the Allies will be dispatched before the week-end. The Federal States’ deliberations, starting on Tuesday, may easily extend over two or three days. A more significant factor is an 11thliour intervention by President Ebert. He, after giving most serious attention to Lord Curzon’s recent speech, has left matters largely to Chancellor Cuno, and during his absence from Berlin, his communications with Herr Cuno have mainly been mado by telephone. '.!&[•]£[ President Ebert’s emergence is duo to the arrival at Berlin of some neutral personalities from Paris, who have stated that, while French opinion is tie-' sirous of an understanding, M. Poincare also was net disinclined in this direction. They pointed out, however, that no settlement would he possible which looked like a defeat for France. President Ebert is believed to be now Influencing tho terms of the German Note* strongly towards the view which these personalities have conveyed, and which France is likely to accept. Chancellor Cuno was feverishly busy during the week-end. He held con- , tt-rem.es with the Ambassadors, including Air Houghton, who is said to have’ received a momentous communication from the Government o! Washington, which will be among recipients of the German Note itself. There is reason to believe that Rome through its Ambassador, lias advised the omission of tbe Ruhr evacuation . issue from the German Note entirely, or at most an allusion to it in terms •which would suggest the advisability of reaching an understanding. Both Berlin and Paris are now indulging in an orgy of speculation respecting the contents of the Note, but all this is valueless.

In Paris, opinion is, however, firm ■on ono point, and that is that the Note will he unacceptable. Foreign opinion, it is said, should bo prepared for a failure of the German proposal, and for a continuation of the present situation for some timo to come. There is an uneasy feeling on tho Berlin Bourse, which is attributed to the probability of this summary French (rejection. Financial circles in Berlin contemplate another “shake up” for flic mark, but they cherish a hope that if the politicians fail to reach a solution, one may he found by tho French and German industrialists. Tho Berlin Bourse uneasiness is in,creased by the Reichsbank making ail pinnoueoment that more of its gold is being sent abroad, and that it already has pledged, for borrowing purposes, a portion of its gold reserve in foreign banks, to the value of 85,000,000 gold ■marks. . \ further cause of disquietude is tile publication of the fact that new paper monev to the value of 255,000,000.000 marks was issued during the third week of April, bringing the face value of the German notes in circulation to j G()9u milliards.