A CLERICAL ERROR

Hokitika Guardian, 22 August 1929, Page 6

A CLERICAL ERROR

CAUSE OF REPARATIONS WRANGLE. (United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) LONDON, August, 21. The “Daily Telegraph’’ to-day publishes a remarkable announcement from its diplomatic correspondent, to the effect that ail amazing clerical error was made in the preparation of the Young Plan. TD The paper says: “The error aioso in this manner: First, ’“thirty-seven annuities allotted to France were adtled up and then divided for the purpose of working out- the average of the French annuity. The latter in the table annexed to the Young Report, is given as 1,046,500,000 gold marks—that is £53,325- -which underestimates its real value by nearly one hundred million gold marks, or by nearly five million sterling. On this basis, France’s share of the Young Plan annuity will be, not her Spa percentage of fifty-two, or even the 1925 Paris percentage, which was fifty-four, hut a percentage in the neighbourhood of fifty-seven. It is not, explained how the experts, or the calculating machine, made such a mistake; but the discovery of the error is of great moment, as the excess of five per cent allotted to France over and above what the Young Committee intended, should enable her to restore something like fair quotas to'Britain, and some of the smaller Powers. The Australian Press Association adds- “This is the first public reference to such error. vYhother such an extraordinary happening could have gone unnoticed until the present is at least doubtful. The fill), significance of the error—if it is ah' error—can only he ascertained when the experts’ report comes down.