AN OMINOUS OUTLOOK

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2660, 17 November 1923, Page 2

AN OMINOUS OUTLOOK

IS ANOTHER WAR LOOMING? STATESMAN’S GRAVE DECLARATION. Paris, Novembajsifi^P^' The Conference of Ambassadors sat for two hours fruitlessly. France is believed to have demanded, firstly the ex-Crown Prince’s extradition and his internment for •life; secondly the complete re-esta-blishment of inter-Allied military control at Berlin. France proposed, firstly, that the Allies should make a joint demarche to Berlin, and secondly,’ if the Allies were agreed, the sanctions should later individually or collectively he decided upon; thirdly if the Allies did not agree, each Government should be allowed to take measures it thought fit. A bald communique stated that the Conference had adjourned until Saturday to allow of further consultations with the Governments.

It is learned that the British Ambassador remarked that from the judicial viewpoint, if the extradition of the ex-Crown Prince were demanded, it would be necessary to insist on tlie same treatment of all war criminals, whose handing over had not yet been demanded. M. Gambon declared that Russia was manufacturing aims and ammunition for Germany andthat Stinnes’ employees had left the Ruhr in order to make arms and munitions in unoccupied Germany. The “Morning Post,” says: “It is hard to resist the conclusion that the Versailles Treaty is crumbling from its administrators’ lack of faith. Neither the Ambassadors’ Conference nor the Reparations’ Commission can agree, for the -imple reason that both act under instructions from the Governments and the two chiefly concerned France and Britain, view the European situation from totally different standpoints.” WHAT GREY AND SMUTS SAY. London, November 15. Viscount Grey, in a grave declaration at Bath, said that things in Europe were shaping for a new war, perhaps not immediately, hut very certainly. The root of the trouble was that France and Britain had not been pulling together. He was hound to say that Britain had been doing its best to work with France, and the cause of their not pulling togelher was that France had conducted a policy in the Ruhr which we believed in the beginning was mistaken and would produce results opposite to the French expfe tat ions. Events had proved Britain right. Britain must stick to the league of Nations. He did not exp.eSlfco see Britain again involved in war, but if ever it unfortunately happened, he would rather see us engaged iu. war to uphold the Covenant of the League than anything else. General Smuts in a letter to the “Times” says that the last chance lor staving off European disaster is tor Britain, without delay, to -mmmon a conference of the Powers interested in reparations. “This conference should not he confined to the narrow issue of what Germany can pay, but he extended to the examination of the whole question in its widest aspects from a financial and economic viewpoint. The conference would also have to consider measures to devise means of putting Germany’s finances in order, reforming the currency, balancing the budget, and securing the necessary foreign credit. Also how Germany, to secure a real peace, should he accorded an opportunity to work out her salvation without the constant menace 0 of interference from outside. “Germany could not pay reparations unless her currency and eredil system were restored, which was impossible unless the total reparation sum was fixed. The situation had become so grave and threatening that future procedure should be aimed to lead to a real solution with no further marking time. ‘Our duty,’ concluded the General, ‘is clearly to go forward even though France is not with us.”