AFTER THE WAR

Shannon News, 27 August 1929, Page 4

AFTER THE WAR

A SURVEY QF EUROPEAN conditions; >,Qiftt ..'.v-H :■ ■ il' I' 'i'.-.L \... >;-.'j' GEEMANY'S GREAT EFFORT TO- - , WARDS RECOVERY. .''Europe To-day" was the title of the fifth the series on '.'lnternational Refations," which was delivered bejCore the Levin W.E.A. class on Tuesday evening by the tutor, Eev. Win. Beckett..,, The attendance showed an improvement on recellt numbers, eighteen being present. Cr. Falloon occupied the chair/ The lecture, which , evoked a healthy discussion, is summarised below. ■ FIRST DECADE OF RECONSTRUC- , / TION. The tenth anniversary of peace occurred last year, and was the occasion of much rejoicing. The strong and bitter feelings of hatred and resentment that were uppermost during, the War have given place to a far more reasonable outlook.. People are coming to se;} . that the European Powers can only pay • their enormous debts through the avenues of trade and commerce, and that the nations of the world must trade with one another. ABANDONED NAVAL PACT. Last year there was talk of an AngloFrencli naval pact, which was interpreted almost universally in France as meaning the renewal of the pre-war Entente, and was so interpreted by large sections in Britain. The outburst of public opinion in England was ; such that the British Government was oblig- '• ed to abandon the project and give assurances that it did not involve any political understanding with France. At, the time of the Armistice, Governments,'on the whole, were more peaceful than the peoples, and Governments would have gone further towards a reasonable settlement if they had not, been hampered by electoral commitments. But all the evidence of last year would seem to show that the boot is now on the other leg and that all decent, public opinion—alike in America and in England (and probably in France, too, though in less degree)—would go much further towards pacific settlement than the Governments themselves are going. The policy of a special understanding with France was not good League policy, neither good Balance of Power policy. Balance of power has always meant that England would oppose the domination of the Continent by any one State, for the reason that domination of the Continent, would mean domination of Great Britain—the subservience of Britain's policy to that of a dominant State. The commonest guess why such a Pact was supported is, "Fear of France." Is there any real ground for this fear? One never knows, for the ways of. nations-, as of men, are often" very .peculiar; Britain, we are told, is not in a position to challenge ' French policy, and so can only acquiesce in it. The Balance of Power methods

of (the past is luled out. The balance that we desire to create is not now a European balance, but a world balance. RECONCILIATION WITH GERMANY Beneath the surface, forces are stirring. The number is growing of those who, in' France, realise that the very existence of France herself, to say nothing of the survival of European civilisation, depends upon a reconciliation with Germany. There has been a steady growth of unofficial movements for reconciliation with Germany. The Nationalist myth that the Germans are a raee of sub-human savages, that France must keep in perpetual subjection in the interests of European civilisation, is growing too \thin. The practical man is beginning to use the words, "The United States of, Europe*." If the movement towards a unified Europe grows, the part of wisdom is to identify it, in its earlier stages, with the League of Nations and so prevent its becoming either Anti-British and anti-Amercian or anti-League. The French Army aiid the British Fleet are the two pillars of presentday Europe. It is of the utmost importance that friendly relations should be maintained. For the peace of the world it is vitally important that there should be right understandings between British and French (statesmen; hence the "conversations" that take place frequently are of great !T/he key to the principal problems of Europe is in the excellence of relations between thees two Governments. ,

CHANNEL TUNNEL PROPOSAL. The revival of interest in the building of a tunnel connecting England and France is an indication that the outlook is hopeful. The main opposition so far has come from the militarists, to whom the Straits of Dover are quite the last ditch. What is needed, more than an actual an'd material tunnel, are mental and spiritual pass-age-ways to connect England with her .Continental neighbours and with all tihe world beyond. The tunnel would make easier and safer facilities for foreign travel and-stimulate, not only commercial intercourse, but friendly understanding. Ex-Prime Minister Baldwin sees, as a result of the tunnel, Britain as the terminus of a great international European railway. NATIONAL SHELL-SHOCK. Britishers, however, cannot forget the Great War. Ten years after .the Peace, Britain is still, in the trade sense, suffering from shell-shock, and agriculture, as well as cotton, wool, coal, iron and steel industries, is still suffering acutely. A million and a-qiiarfcer workers are unemployed. The coalfields constitute one vast tragedy. The burden of war taxation, amounting to £370,000,000 a year, presses upon all the industries and swells the overhead charges upon production to a degree that retards the recovery of Britain's essential.foreign trade. On the other hand, Prance is very prosperous', and the nett result of the War ! nas beea to put France where Gev-

many was—in possession of overwhelming power. THE BALFOUR NOTE. The relatively more prosperous position of France gives ground for the plea that the terms of the Balfour Note should be revised. By the Balfour, plan, the British Government demanded of Germany, France, Italy, and the other nations in debt to her the exact equivalent of what Britain is liable to pay to the United States —say, in round figures, something like 38 millions a year. Mr Snowden says, "The Balfour Note was offered in the hope that its generosity would appeal to the magnanimity .of. the American Government. It failed, but the obligation remained, and Britain has had to make the sacrifices, and her debtors have reaped the benefit." RHINELAND OCCUPATION.

The occupation of Rhineland by the Allied troops is a sore point with Germany. She asks for' evacuation, and there can be no doubt that she is'- entitled to this concession. Perhaps there is not a legal claim or strictly . legal right to demand it, but logic-ally-and morally her claim is overwhelming, since Germany has disarmed, has signed the Locarno-and Kellogg Pacts, and has been admitted to -the League of Nations. She has demonstrated her friendly intentions, and has paid for some years all that is Required of her.. The only possible justification for the occupation of the Rhineland would be an obvious Germany menace, but that is not apparent. 4 Understandings were given to Germany', since the treaty of Yersaili les was framed, which can only be honorably fulfilled by prompt and unconditional evacuation. As early as 1929 the formal assurance of President Wilson, M. Clemenceau and Mr Lloyd George was given that the occupation would be terminated when Germany had given proofs of goodwill and guarantees that she would fulfil her obligations. Germany,has already given the sort of proofs and guarantees that this declaration contf.'mplated. There is no precede) 1 .!: in international relations for occupying the territory of even an unreconciled enemy for so long a time. The policy of France seems to be to hold on to the Rhineland as long as she possib'y can and to exact some quid pro quo as a condition of evacuating it—a policy that is utterly 'repugnant to Biitish public opinion. The suggestion of a new Reparations. Commission is a move to delay' evacuation, in order to keep things very much as they are. A more reasonable view of the position, however, is possessing the minds of the French people. A pmtest against th-3 injustice of the Peace Treaties and a plea for their revision has been published in the Press by 134 distinguished Frenchmen and Frenchwomen, in a manifesto entitled "An Appeal to Reason." It urges .France to take the first step to revision .of the Treaty by evacuating, thus gaining a noble victory—the victory of reason over violence. It is said in certain quarters that the occupation of the Rhineland is directed, not against Germany, but against America. The hope is'entertained that America may be induced [to abate her claims in respect to in-ter-Allied debts, and the calculation is that the best means of inducing heii to do so is to touch her conscience by making it appear that, so long as she declines, she rs obstructing not only a settlement.-of reparations, but the evacuation of the .Rhineland, and is thus endangering the whole causeof the political appeasement of Europe. Mr Arthur Henderson, the present British Foreign Secretary,, has said that "the Government retained complete liberty to withdraw British troops if and when it seemed expedient to do so," also that he thought "evacuation should take place at the earliest possible moment. In the newspapers of August 13th we read that the Hague Conference, in discussing the question of the evacuation, has accepted in principle the setting-up of the Technical Sub-Committee to work out the details of evacuation. This is indeed good news, for it will "create a new atmosphere in Europe and a real sense that the Great War has passed into history." AMERICA'S CONCESSION TO FRANCE. One of the latest bits of news, gathered from an American paper of high standing, is that America has cancelled the war debts of France. '' The settlement agreed upon with Franco amounts to a complete revision of the obligations incurred during the War, and' the payment rtow demanded is only of the past. War obligations with a reasonable interest." There is, however, a debt for munitions of war purchased after the Armistice, amounting to £80,000,000 that falls due this month (August) and that is a source of concern to France. America does not seem inclined to wipe this off the slate as she did the debt incurred while they were comrades in arms. REPARATION PROBLEM. Regarding Germany's great debt,

one proposal is that the total amount of reparations should be finally fixed and the sum capitalised in a loan on the American market. The money With which Germany has hitherto been paying reparations is very largely derived from America, who is financing her with loans and investments. Thereis great hostility in American official circles to linking debts and reparations. With the growth of saner views on war responsibility, the gulf betweeti the Allied and German position is narrowing. If now it should prove possible to capitalise the amount due, in the form of an international loan, it is difficult to see why America should not accept the bonds, or some of them, in payment of the debts owing by the Allies to her. France is anxious for the commercialisation of the debt. Once Germany's creditors become private investors, scattered all over the world, then France has noth- ] ing more to fear from the changing 1

political conscience of the world. As the theory of divided responsibility for the War becomes more widely held France will be forced to reduce her claim. The eagerness of France for the speeding-up of reparation payments is understandable in view of her necessity to find £80,000,000 for America this month. THE DAWES PLAN.

According to the Dawes Plan of 1924 no total sum was set for reparations nor was any move made to reduce the astronomical figure of the London Settlement, of 1921. The experts simply adopted the principle of "commensurate taxation"—that is, that taxes in Allied countries and the German debt burden should be at least equal to that in Allied countries. On this basis they recommended that Germany raise for the reparations account, the sum of 1000 million gold marks for 1924-25. This sum should be gradually increased until the fifth year, or 1928-29, when Germany, should raise 2500 million gold marks, and the German Budget and curency should first be put in shape by means of a foreign loan of 800 million gold marks. The Dawes Plan has continued to operate successfully in the field of reparation payments' and transfers, because, in effect, Germany has borrowed more than she has paid and the eventual problem of transferring'goods and services has not yet arisen. As in previous years, Germany has made all the payments required, and has made them loyally and punctually. The Dawes Plan has realised the" other main object for which the experts were originally appointed —the stabilisation of the German currency. The gold reserves of the Re.ichsbank now stand at the highest point ever reached, and for the greater part of the past year the mark has been one of the strongest currencies in the world from the standpoint of foreign exchanges. Great as the progress of Germany has been "during the past four years, it is not to be supposed that she has yet made up for the values destroyed in the War or for the values which would have been produced had there been no war. Since 1924, when stabilisation was achieved and the execution of the Dawes Plan began, Germany's reconstruction has at least kept pace with the reconstruction of Europe as a whole, and it has played an essential part in the general process of European reconstruction.

MR SNOWDEN'S STAND.

People have been reading with great interest the reports from the Hague Conference on Reparations, and naturally their sympaethies are with Mr Snowden, whom they will applaud for his firm stand. They cannot but hope that the result will be a modification of the Young Reparations Plan, thus securing relief for the very heavily burdened taxpayers of Great Britain. It does seem unfair that Britain, who has borne so much of the war burden, should be asked to accept an agreement whereby she would lose £2,400,000 a year, whereas Fiance, in addition to five-sixths of the unconditional annuities, would gairi £535,000, Italy would gain £1,340,000, Belgium would gain while Japan, Serbia, Greece, Roumania and the United States would lose small amounts. The main features of the Young Plan are a reduction of Germany's average annual liability from £125,000,000 to £99,500,000 over 36 years, and a redistribution among creditor nations of annuities. In addition there is provision for a further 22 years, from 1966 to 1988, during which the German payments begin at £85,000,000 and gradually fall to £45,800,000. . PLIGHT OF AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY.

Austria is the most sadly stricken of all the states of Europe. Her territory has been reduced so that, from a stable and orderly life of fifty millions, she now has but -six millions. Thanks tp the 'intervention of the League, Austria now has a stabilised currency, but she is not yet on her feet economically. She probably never will be, if present conditions prevail; that is to say, as long as the surrounding states exclude her industrial good by their policy of protectionist tariffs.! The political unrest in the, country is< but a consequence of Austria's economic instability. Austria has, in 1942, to refund not only the League loam, but all her relief credits (812 million schillings), and also reparations, the amount of which has not even been fixed yet. The result of the work of the League's Committee of Investigation lias been a return of confidence in Austria. She has been able to raise foreign loans. The number of her officials has been reduced j by July, 1923, 44,871 had been dismissed. The economic and financial situation has been stabilised and the eo.untry put in a fair way to carry, on; \ Hungary, which was much reduced in area, as well as population, after the War,, feels deeply her tion. Displayed in all schools and halls, tram-cars and public places, and recited daily in the schools, is the creed: "I believe in God. I believe in Eternal Justice. I believe in my Fatherland. I believe in the Resurrection of Hungary." ITALY AND THE VATICAN. , None of the Great Powers has contributed so little to the elucidation of the origins of the War or the difficulties arising therefrom as Italy. She has been wholly absorbed in her own affairs. Under the masterful dictatorship of Mussolini, Italy is being built up a strong and self-sufficient nation. The recent formation of the Vatican State, of 105 acres with 300 permanent residents, has brought to a close the 60 years' grievance. How long the Dictator and the Pontiff-King will remain good friends is an open question. Before the actual 'signing of the Lateran Treaty, Signor -Masconi, Finance Minister, handed to Cardinal Sasparri a cheque for £8,000,000, representing the accumulated allowances y the state to the Vatican refused y the Vatican since 1870. As a sym-

bol of the new freedom of the Pope, the bronze gates of the,Vatican were opened, and men of the Pope 'a Swiss Guard, in the uniforms designed by Michael Angelo, mixed with Italian soldiers. UNREST IN SPAIN. Perhaps ■the country least touched by the War is Spain. The chief obstacle in the path of good government in Spain is the lack of a high standard of education. One reads of ■"Riots among Students." Much mora serious is the development of discontent among the officers of the army and probably also of the navy. Recently a treaty of friendship and arbitration has been signed' between France and Spain. THE NEW MAP OF EUROPE. In Central and South-Eastern Europe,, five completely new States have been \ formed —Esthonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Czecho-Slovakia. Three States—Bouinania, Greece, and the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes —have kingdoms greatly enlarged, embracing elements of national life completely new. Five States — Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey—are reduced in area and population. Of the new southern states created by the War, Czecho-Slovakia is the most prosperous, under her popular president, Dr. Masaryk. She has been the most peaceful, progressive and prosperous of the In addition to her large agricultural and pastoral pursuits, she has large manufactures in fancy goods and toys, in which she excels. These are commanding a world market. In 1927 New Zealand imported from Czecho-Slovakia wearing apparel to the value of £6OOO, glass and glassware £14,000, and' fancy goods £7900. A recent dealer in furs, from Hudson Bay, spoke of the good demand for his costly wares in Cze-cho-Slovakia, showing that money is not scarce there. ; , FEDERATION OF THE WORLD. The struggle for world unity, will be, more urgent and more intense in. Europe than in America. It must be waged, to begin with, in one definite direction; there must be a steadfast, systematic attack upon the ideas of nationalism and aggressive patriotism in Europe. The most important work before men and women to-day is the preaching and teaching, the elaboration and realisation of the Utopia of the world State. We can spread ideas and suggestions now with a hundred timesv the utmost rapidity, of a.hundred years ago. The world is waiting for the world State, and to this task we must give ourselves. If the League of Nations is ever to be a success, it must be driven by an educated public opinion, which will recognise that, in spite of national antagonisms and divergent interests, mankind as a whole is what the League of Nations presupposed it to be: A community, with common aims and a common history.