THE ALLIED DEBTS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXX, Issue 5440, 26 June 1929, Page 2

THE ALLIED DEBTS.

EUROPE IN PAWN. TOLL TO UNITED STAT’ESI “Europe is in pawn to the United States, not for a year or ten years, but for this generation and the' next. The child in the cradle to-day will be a bearded man before this; enormous toll is paid and Europe ftreer,” Mr A. G. Gardiner wrote veeentiy in the “Sunday Express.” ‘‘‘Germany will be enriched, for of the total debt, under the Young scheme of £1,800,00,000 not less than £1,300,000,000 is earmarked for the United States to meet the total Allied debts to her. And the eternal wrangle for the odd £500,000,000 will keep the European family in discord to the end of the monstrous chapter. It is like a fan tastic nightmare, and I refuse to believe that any sane American thinks that this dreadful tragedy can drag oji for 60 years, or 40, or 20, or 10. I .’nave never met an intelligent American who defended his country’s action, and a few who were not frankly ashamed and humiliated by that action. Why, then, is it persisted in ? Soorj-cr oi’ later the United States must realise that she is the key to the tragedy of Europe, that our agony lies at her door and our redemption is in. her hands. She must recognise thal; no permanent settlement of the rep arations problem is possible until she changes her attitude and revises her terms, and that without that pernuanent Europe is doomed and the nan le of her wrecker will be infamous in history.”