Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1916. GERMANY AND WAR INDEMNITIES.

Nelson Evening Mail, 19 September 1916, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1916. GERMANY AND WAR INDEMNITIES.

IX a striking- article entitled "The Keek contributed to the JN'ine'teenth Century. Mr Edgar -Crammoud lays it. down as ;iii incontrovertible axiom that "the whole of the German people have created or have acquiesced in the creation of a- .'Frankenstein's monster in the shape of {Prussian militarism, and- it as for them to purge themselves of this evil thing before, theyi can be again admitted to the enjoyment of the ordinary commercial relations which subsist between civilised peoples." Mr ■Cram.mond considers that this puirging process should take .the form of a war indemnity which Germany and Austro-Hungary, as the proved aggressors and disturbers of the world's peace, should be called upon to pay, and that the amount of the indemnity should) be computed upon the pilan followed by Germany fu her previous wars, and especially in accordance with the precedent created! iby her in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. It is suggested, therefore, that with this plan and precedent as a guide the Central Empires should', as a condition of peace, be called upon to pay not only the whole of the direct war expenditure of the Allied Powers, ibut also the cost of the pensions to widows and orphans and the invalidity allowances which those nations have to provide. According to the lO'tago Times, Mr Cramimond estimates that tip to March., 1017, the direct cost of .this war to the Allies will be £8,600,000,000, and that in the first two years of the war close upon 8,000,000 of their best manhoodi have Ibeen killed or maimed by the enemy. This war indemnity of £3,600,000,000, plus the cost of pensions, etc., should, it is argued, be debited to Germany and Austro-Hlungary in proportion to their national wealth. -Before the war the 'Central Empires had an aggregate national income of £2,800,000,000 and an aggregate national -wealth of £20,600,000,000, made up as follows : Income. Wealth. £ £ Germany 2,000,000,000 15,000,000,000 AustriaHungary 800,000,0J0 5,600,000,000 On the basis of these figures Mr Crammoud inclines to the 'belief that, despite the cost of the war to themselves, the Central Empires will, if the payment is spread over a siifficieait number of years, be able to sustain the tremendous burden that would be imposed°upoii them by the exaction of such a huge indemnity. He derides the idea that Germany andi Austria will be so exhausted at the end- of the war as to make the payment of an indemnity impossible. He believes, in fact, that from £2,000,000,000 to £3,000,000,000 coulldi be collected from the -Central Empires either immediately or as an annual tribute. As to the method of the payment of the war indemnity Mr Crammoud advocates that all the claims should be pooled and that the demand should be made in the name of the Allies upon the Central Empires. In view of the destruction to shipping caused by 'German submarines and mines, the mercantile fleet of Germany should be utilised to make 'good the losses sustained by the Powers i'n this respect. Germany 'h'houfld also bo required to make good' in kind-, and 'not in money, all that she has stolen or destroyed m Belgium, Northern France, 'Poland, andl Serbia. For the balance of the indemnity the 'German and Austrian Governments should be required to issue debt certificates which conild be rendered of value if 1 madle a ifirst charge upon their Customs and excise to be levied.' for a specified | number ci years. In addition to all/this, and in keeping with the recommenda-

tions of the Economic Conference in (Paris, each Allied' Power should undertake to impose a war debt import duty upon alfl German and Austrian manufactures and a war debt export duty upou all raw material destined for use in the Central) Powers. And, Mr Cram-mood insists, not, until the Allied Powers have some good* assurance that Germany is not likely again to disturb the peace of •the world, should there 'be an;-" relaxation of the stringency of these conditions.